Meanings
jester1
plural jesters
- One who jests, jokes or teases.
As resident jester at the maverick journalism outlet The Free Press, Nellie Bowles scours the news for the absurd and hypocritical, and then skewers the best of the worst in her column, TGIF.
2025 February 26, Roy Rivenburg, “Nellie Bowles of The Free Press punctures pretension left and right”, in The Christian Science MonitorSynonyms: buffoon
- A person in colourful garb and fool's cap who amused a medieval and early modern royal or noble court.
Synonyms: buffoon
- Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the Southeast Asian genus Symbrenthia.
present singular third person jesters · participle present jestering · participle past jestered · past jestered
- intransitiveTo act in a foolish or clownish way for the purpose of entertainment or attracting attention.
Synonyms: jest, jestermaxxing
Jester2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne who jests, jokes or teases.
nounA person in colourful garb and fool's cap who amused a medieval and early modern royal or noble court.
verbTo act in a foolish or clownish way for the purpose of entertainment or attracting attention.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna professional clown employed to entertain a king or nobleman in the Middle Ages
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishgestour
- Englishjester
From Middle English gestour; equivalent to jest + -er.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γελωτοποιός
- γελωτοποιός (gelōtopoiós)one who jests
Arabic بَهْلُول
- بَهْلُول (bahlūl)one who jests
Bulgarian шегоби́ец
- шегоби́ец (šegobíec)one who jests
Czech šašek
- šašekone who jests
Esperanto amuzanto
- amuzantoone who jests
Finnish vitsailija, vitsiniekka
- vitsailijaone who jests
- vitsiniekkaone who jests
French plaisantin
- plaisantinone who jests
German Spaßmacher, Spaßmacherin
- Spaßmacherone who jests
- Spaßmacherinone who jests
- Clownone who jests
- Clowninone who jests
- Hampelmannone who jests
- Hampelfrauone who jests
- Narrone who jests
Latin balatrō
- balatrōone who jests
Lithuanian klounas
- klounasone who jests
Māori kiri hangareka
- kiri hangarekaone who jests
Polish błazen
- błazenone who jests
Portuguese brincalhão
- brincalhãoone who jests
Russian шутни́к, шутни́ца
- шутни́к (šutník)one who jests
- шутни́ца (šutníca)one who jests
- остря́к (ostrják)one who jests
Spanish truhán
- truhánone who jests
Swedish gycklare
- gycklareone who jests
Ukrainian жартівни́к, жартівни́ця
- жартівни́к (žartivnýk)one who jests
- жартівни́ця (žartivnýcja)one who jests
- жарту́н (žartún)one who jests
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with jester
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
jester. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jester
“jester.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jester. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jester,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jester.
Source: jester on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.