bozo

"Bozo" isn't usually a compliment. It is an informal way to call someone a fool, a goofball, or someone acting in a silly, clumsy way. Think of Bozo the Clown as a familiar image: funny, playful, and a little ridiculous. You might use it when someone keeps making avoidable mistakes, trips over their own feet, or speaks without thinking. It is often playful among friends, but it can sound mocking or insulting if the tone is sharp or the person is a stranger.

The word has circulated in American English as slang for a fool or comic fool since the early 20th century, especially in circus, vaudeville, and clown-related settings. Its popular image was later reinforced by Bozo the Clown, a children’s entertainment character from the 1940s onward.

Today, people use it to describe someone who seems foolish, socially awkward, or incompetent—sometimes in a teasing way, sometimes as a blunt put-down. For example: "Don't be such a bozo; you can't wear sandals in a snowstorm." Or, "He tried to fix the computer himself and now it won’t even turn on—what a bozo!"

However, like many slang terms, tone and relationship matter. A close friend may accept it as playful teasing, while a colleague or stranger may hear it as disrespectful. It is best kept for informal, consensual banter, because it can easily shift from comic to insulting.