1
as in comedy
humorous entertainment
an actor whose roles range from slapstick to serious drama
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in hijinks
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
a lowbrow comedy that relies heavily on slapstick for its laughs
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in zany
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slapstick
Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
Its cataclysmic science-fiction premise hinges on the loopiest of ideas, which is the Looney Tunes formula in a nutshell: Take a popular conceit and send it spinning in a cracked direction with warp-speed slapstick and throw-everything-at-the-wall humor.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
His film debut came in the slapstick comedy Top Secret!
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
The main romance is dull, but there’s plenty of fun slapstick and creative set-pieces in John Hughes’ script to make up for it.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slapstick
Noun
Throughout, Snook hams for laughs, turning Wilde’s witticisms and epigrams into slapstick.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
Its cataclysmic science-fiction premise hinges on the loopiest of ideas, which is the Looney Tunes formula in a nutshell: Take a popular conceit and send it spinning in a cracked direction with warp-speed slapstick and throw-everything-at-the-wall humor.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
His film debut came in the slapstick comedy Top Secret!
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
The main romance is dull, but there’s plenty of fun slapstick and creative set-pieces in John Hughes’ script to make up for it.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slapstick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slapstick
Noun
-
Lorre, a veteran comedy creator, executive producer and writer, will speak as part of the Summit Series at the 46th edition of Banff from June 8 to 11, 2025.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The comedy special Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life will premiere Saturday, April 26 at 10 pm on HBO (and stream on Max).—
Vlada Gelman,
TVLine,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
While this sketch could have been simple, there are a lot of zany jokes that build on the premise, including Black being a racist cartoonist and holding too many hotdogs.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
-
The zany, sometimes nonsensical lyrics, written by Pete Wentz, were paired with an equally quirky music video, telling the story of a guy with antlers crushing on a girl whose dad hates him for it.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Their early short films were made on shoestring budgets, relying on humor and inventive storytelling.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The role sees Williams’s character balancing humor and tragedy up until her final moments.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But Victor leans less into clownish mortification than her predecessors, making room instead for a delicate quietude and sincerity.—
Jon Frosch,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
-
Redheads often fielded comments related to having a hot temper, being clownish, weirdness, Irishness, not capable of being in the sun, being wild (among women), wimpy (among men), and intellectually superior.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The story works less as a Hollywood satire than as a survival thriller.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Scottish actor Capaldi, the twelfth Doctor in the Doctor Who universe (2013–2017), won several awards, including a British Academy Television Award, for his performance as Malcolm Tucker in the beloved satire The Thick of It (2005–2012).—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Six books offer readers armchair travel, amusing characters, and a dash of history.—
Yvonne Zipp,
Christian Science Monitor,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Thankfully, in the case of Mark, the reality proved to be something much more amusing.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
His is a sort of erudite buffoonery that consistently tap-dances between clever, self-aware, and patently stupid.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
-
There is, in fact, real stagecraft along with the buffoonery.—
Susan B. Glasser,
The New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
An otherwise entertaining year became quite messy in the final stages and ended on a sour note.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Comments Murder is the final course during a state dinner with foreign dignitaries on The Residence, a deliciously entertaining new murder mystery from Shondaland.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slapstick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slapstick. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share