folly

noun

fol·​ly ˈfä-lē How to pronounce folly (audio)
plural follies
1
: lack of good sense or normal prudence and foresight
his folly in thinking he could not be caught
2
a
: criminally or tragically foolish actions or conduct
b
obsolete : evil, wickedness
especially : lewd behavior
3
: a foolish act or idea
The prank was a youthful folly.
4
: an excessively costly or unprofitable undertaking
Paying so much for that land was folly, since it was all rocks and scrub trees.
5
: an often extravagant picturesque building erected to suit a fanciful taste

Examples of folly in a Sentence

the folly of driving fast on steep, winding roads his folly in thinking that he would not be noticed The folly of such an action should be apparent to everyone. the follies of the modern world the famous Ziegfeld Follies of the 1920s
Recent Examples on the Web Ignoring the warnings would be pure folly, especially at this time. Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 Going the quantitative route ended up providing interesting folly but did not nail down the answer. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 What the 49ers did to the Eagles that day underscores the folly making too big a deal out of a game when there is so much of the season left to be played. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2024 Harris’s proposal shows the folly of conflating ‘democratic norms’ with the political success of the Democratic Party. Fred Bauer, National Review, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for folly 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'folly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English folie, from Anglo-French, from fol fool

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of folly was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near folly

Cite this Entry

“Folly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folly. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

folly

noun
fol·​ly ˈfäl-ē How to pronounce folly (audio)
plural follies
1
: lack of good sense or judgment
2
: foolish behavior
3
: a foolish act or idea

More from Merriam-Webster on folly

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