bouffon
What does “bouffon” mean in English?
It's an insult for someone who's acting ridiculous or foolish, akin to calling them a clown. Literally, it means 'jester.'
Literally “jester”
You might hear it used directly to insult someone, similar to calling someone a 'fool' or 'idiot' in English. It can be playful at times, but usually carries a contemptuous tone.
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Related French words
cervelle de moineau
2/5 · CoarseThis is a mild insult used to call someone foolish or forgetful, comparing their intelligence to that of a small bird. The literal translation refers to a 'sparrow brain.'
niaiseux
2/5 · CoarseThis is a Quebecois insult used to call someone foolish or ridiculous. It’s not a heavy insult, more like playful teasing in some contexts.
brêle
2/5 · CoarseThis is an insult aimed at someone who is incompetent or inept, often in relation to a specific task.
dugland
2/5 · CoarseIt's a comic insult used to call someone an idiot. While it sounds light-hearted, it can still be offensive.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via Viddexa SafeText (MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.