noun
jocular person; witty person; jester
Refers to a person who is playful, humorous, or given to joking; often used in a lighthearted or slightly old-fashioned way. Cross-referenced with 剽軽者 (ひょうきんもの), a similar term.
See also: 剽軽者 (ひょうきんもの)
彼はいつも冗談を言うひょうげ者だ。
He's always a jocular person who tells jokes.
あのひょうげ者のおかげで、パーティーがとても
Thanks to that witty person, the party was really fun.
Very similar in meaning; ひょうげ者 may sound slightly more old-fashioned or literary, while ひょうきんもの is more common in modern casual speech.
The exact derivation is uncertain. The kanji 剽 carries a sense of 'light' or 'nimble', and 者 means 'person', suggesting a person with a light, playful character. The reading ひょうげ may be related to ひょうきん (剽軽).