Meanings
nounbuffoon (plural buffoons)
plural buffoons
- One who performs in a silly or ridiculous fashion; a clown or fool.
To divert the audience with buffoon postures and antic dances.
1810, W. Melmoth, transl., Letters of Pliny - derogatoryAn unintentionally ridiculous person.
verbbuffoon (third-person singular simple present buffoons, present participle buffooning, simple past and past participle buffooned)
present singular third person buffoons · participle present buffooning · participle past buffooned · past buffooned
- To behave like a buffoon
His mimicry of gay speech and facial expressions is analogous to an Amos 'n' Andy routine, in which white men buffooned their way through incredibly demeaning impersonations of black men.
1988 January 22, Henry Sheehan, “Little Boy Blue”, in Chicago Reader
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior
Also see
agitatorbeggarblitherboneheadboobybotclothheadclowncockamamiecodcodsheaddicklickdirtbraindivvydoltdonkeydopedullarddunderfuckfoolgoobergoofgoofballgooseberryhalf-bakedhoddy-peakhoodlumhooliganidiotidiotainstigatorjack puddingjamokejerkjesterjokerlardbrainlardheadloutmadcapmamelukemaroonmeatbrainmelonheadmerry andrewmischief-makermitemoronmusclebrainnincompoopnumptynupsonpot stirrerpuke for brainsrantipoleretardroly-polyruffianscampschmo
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Italianbuffone“jester”
- Middle Frenchbouffon
- Englishbuffoon
From Middle French bouffon, from Italian buffone (“jester”), from buffare (“to puff out the cheeks”), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Middle High German buffen ("to puff"; > German büffen), Old English pyffan (“to breathe out, blow with the mouth”). More at English puff.
More words from Middle French, Italian
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γελωτοποιός
- γελωτοποιός (gelōtopoiós)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Arabic مُهَرِّج
- مُهَرِّج (muharrij)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Bulgarian шут, паля́чо
- шут (šut)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- паля́чо (paljáčo)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Chinese Mandarin 小丑, 活寶 /活宝
- 小丑 (xiǎochǒu)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- 活寶 /活宝 (huóbǎo)unintentionally ridiculous person
Czech kašpar, šašek
- kašparone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- šašekone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- klaunone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- šašekunintentionally ridiculous person
- kašparunintentionally ridiculous person
Dutch clown, sufferd
- clownone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- sufferdunintentionally ridiculous person
Esperanto bufono
- bufonoone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Finnish ilveilijä, narri
- ilveilijäone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- narrione who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- pelleone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- narriunintentionally ridiculous person
- mänttiunintentionally ridiculous person
- pelleilläto behave like buffoon
- ilveilläto behave like buffoon
French bouffon
- bouffonone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
German Hanswurst, Kasper
- Hanswurstone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- Kasperone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- Narrunintentionally ridiculous person
- Närrinunintentionally ridiculous person
- kaspernto behave like buffoon
- herumkaspernto behave like buffoon
Hindi मसख़रा, भाँड
- मसख़रा (masxarā)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- भाँड (bhā̃ḍ)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Hungarian pojáca, ripacs
- pojácaone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- ripacsone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Irish abhlóir, drúth
- abhlóirone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- drúthone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- fuirseoirone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- miodhlachone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- óinmhidone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Italian pagliaccio, buffone
- pagliaccioone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- buffoneone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Māori heahea
- heaheaone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Polish pajac, błazen
- pajacone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- błazenone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Portuguese palhaço, bufão
- palhaçoone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- bufãoone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Romanian bufon
- bufonone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Russian шут, пая́ц
- шут (šut)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- пая́ц (pajác)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- скоморо́х (skomoróx)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- фигля́р (figljár)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- буффо́н (buffón)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Spanish bufón
- bufónone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Swedish pajas, pajas
- pajasone who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- pajasunintentionally ridiculous person
- fjantunintentionally ridiculous person
Ukrainian бла́зень, кло́ун
- бла́зень (blázenʹ)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- кло́ун (klóun)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Urdu مَسْخَرَہ, مَسْخَرا
- مَسْخَرَہ (masxara)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- مَسْخَرا (masxarā)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
- بھانْڈ (bhānḍ)one who acts in a silly or ridiculous fashion
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with buffoon
junesoonmooncartoonafternoontunenoontribuneimmuneballoonCameroonspoonsaloonlagoontoontycoondunenuntyphoonboonmonsoonplatooncocoonrune
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
buffoon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buffoon
MLA
“buffoon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buffoon. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “buffoon,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buffoon.
Source: buffoon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.