What does "harlequin" mean?
A pantomime fool, typically dressed in colorful checkered clothes, used as a stock character in commedia dell'arte and other genres.
Harlequin
/ˈhɑɹlɪkwɪn/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A pantomime fool, typically dressed in colorful checkered clothes, used as a stock character in commedia dell'arte and other genres.
- Grammar: harlequin is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: antigorite, band, bar, bespangle.
- Useful contrasts: monochrome, monochrome design, plain pattern.
- Usage evidence: There is no mercy here, Pinocchio. I have spared you. Harlequin must burn in your place. I am hungry and my dinner must be cooked.
How to use "harlequin"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "harlequin" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "harlequin" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "harlequin" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "harlequin" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "harlequin" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "antigorite" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "harlequin", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pantomime fool, typically dressed in colorful checkered clothes, used as a stock character in commedia dell'arte and other genres. countable, uncountable
"[…] were certainly the worst and dullest company into which an audience was ever introduced; and (which was a secret known to few) were actually intended so to be, in order to contrast the comic part of the entertainment, and to display the tricks of harlequin to the better advantage."
- 2 a clown or buffoon (after the Harlequin character in the commedia dell'arte) wordnet
- 3 A greenish-chartreuse color. countable, uncountable
- 4 A harlequin duck. countable, informal, uncountable
- 5 Any of various riodinid butterflies of the genera Taxila and Praetaxila. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To remove or conjure away, as if by a harlequin's trick. transitive
"And kitten, if the humour hit / Has harlequin'd away the fit."
- 2 variegate with spots or marks wordnet
- 3 To make sport by playing ludicrous tricks. intransitive
Adjective
- 1 Brightly colored, especially in a pattern like that of a harlequin clown's clothes. not-comparable
- 2 Of a greenish-chartreuse color. not-comparable
Proper Noun
- 1 The best-known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian commedia dell'arte, associated with the city of Bergamo.
- 2 A type of eyeglass frame design inspired by Venetian Harlequin masks, more commonly known as cat-eye.
Antonyms
Example
"There is no mercy here, Pinocchio. I have spared you. Harlequin must burn in your place. I am hungry and my dinner must be cooked."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "harlequin"?
Common synonyms include: antigorite, band, bar, bespangle, bespeckle, bicolor.
How do you use "harlequin" in a sentence?
There is no mercy here, Pinocchio. I have spared you. Harlequin must burn in your place. I am hungry and my dinner must be cooked.
How do you pronounce "harlequin"?
Pronounced /ˈhɑɹlɪkwɪn/.
Etymology
From earlier Harlicken, from Middle French Harlequin (in Italian Arlecchino, the name of a popular servant character in commedia dell'arte plays), from Old French Harlequin, Halequin, Herlequin, Hellequin, Hierlekin, Hellekin (a demon, malevolent spirit), probably of Germanic origin, connected to the Old English figure of *Herla Cyning (“King Herla”, a mythical figure identified with Woden) or possibly to Old Frisian helle kin, Old English helle cyn, Old Norse heljar kyn (“the kindred of Hell”). Related to Middle English Hurlewain (“a mischievous sprite or goblin”).