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
"It was folly, pure folly," protested Lingard, "and this poor fellow has paid for it."—
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
b
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.
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
Kate Fry, whose assignment here as Gretl requires a temporal transition from the coquettish and sensuous to a character rich with the moral authority of experience and an ability to judge the folly of others, is quite extraordinary.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
This extravagant, cartoonish, and shockingly unfunny folly about the hysteria surrounding a Japanese invasion of California shows a boy-wonder director testing his limits — and overstepping them.
—Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, 13 June 2026
Organizations that have spent decades pretending that the best way to find a new audience is to alienate your existing one are beginning to realize the cost of their folly.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 7 June 2026
Here, human folly moves against a backdrop of horror and magic.
—Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for folly
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Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
This extravagant, cartoonish, and shockingly unfunny folly about the hysteria surrounding a Japanese invasion of California shows a boy-wonder director testing his limits — and overstepping them.
—Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, 13 June 2026
Organizations that have spent decades pretending that the best way to find a new audience is to alienate your existing one are beginning to realize the cost of their folly.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 7 June 2026
Here, human folly moves against a backdrop of horror and magic.
—Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for folly
Cite this Entry
“Folly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folly. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
folly
noun
fol·ly
ˈfäl-ē 
plural follies
1
: lack of good sense or judgment
2
: foolish behavior
3
: a foolish act or idea
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