The quality or practice of behaving like a harlequin; playful joking, buffoonery, or use of tricks and deception.
From harlequin + -ism suffix denoting a practice or condition. Reflects 16th-century adoption of the commedia dell'arte character type into English cultural vocabulary.
Harlequinism was particularly popular in 18th-century theater—audiences loved the anarchic energy—but the word also became associated with dishonesty and trickery, showing how once-charming traits can take on negative connotations as cultural values shift.
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