zany vs buffoon

zany and buffoon both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
zany	Yes	Yes	No	No
buffoon	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, buffoon is a hypernym of zany; that is, buffoon is a word with a broader meaning than zany:

zany: a buffoon in one of the old comedies; imitates others for ludicrous effect
buffoon: a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior

Other hypernyms of zany include clown, goof, goofball, merry andrew.

zany (noun)	buffoon (noun)
a buffoon in one of the old comedies; imitates others for ludicrous effect	a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior
a man who is a stupid incompetent fool	a rude or vulgar fool

zany (adjective)	buffoon (adjective)
ludicrous, foolish
like a clown