heypolyglot
Italian

pagliacciata

/paʎʎatˈtʃata/noun · feminineC1
Extended vocabulary · Vocabulary rank 50,347

Meaning

farce, nonsense

  • ridiculous, disgraceful, or hypocritical behavior
  • a farcical act or stunt, clowning around

In a sentence

L'intera riunione si è trasformata in una ridicola pagliacciata.

The whole meeting turned into a ridiculous farce.

Smettila con questa pagliacciata e affronta la situazione seriamente!

Stop this nonsense and face the situation seriously!

Non voglio prendere parte a una simile pagliacciata.

I do not want to take part in such a farce.

Word forms (2)
WordWord forms
pagliacciatafeminine · singular
pagliacciatefeminine · plural

Usage notes

  • Informal: use with care in professional or polite contexts.
  • Derived from 'pagliaccio' (clown), expresses contempt or exasperation.

Related words

Opposites

Explore vocabulary lessons →