Harlequinade

//hɑːləkwɪˈneɪd// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A pantomime-like comedy featuring the harlequin or clown.
  2. 2
    acting like a clown or buffoon wordnet
  3. 3
    Any comical or fantastical procedure or playfulness.

    "Away up the gorge all diurnal fancies trooped into the wide liberties of endless luminous vistas of azure sunlit mountains beneath the shining azure heavens, the ranges and valleys changing with every mood of the atmosphere, with the harlequinade of the clouds and the wind."

Example

More examples

"Away up the gorge all diurnal fancies trooped into the wide liberties of endless luminous vistas of azure sunlit mountains beneath the shining azure heavens, the ranges and valleys changing with every mood of the atmosphere, with the harlequinade of the clouds and the wind."

Etymology

From French arlequinade.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.