foolishness

foolishness

noun

Definition of FOOLISHNESS

1

lack of good sense or judgment <the foolishness of going off to search for the fountain of youth>

Synonyms absurdity, asininity, balminess, brainlessness, craziness, daftness, dippiness, dottiness, fatuity, fatuousness, folly, imbecility, inanity, insanity, lunacy, madness, nonsensicalness, nuttiness, preposterousness, senselessness, silliness, simplicity, unwisdom, wackiness, witlessness, zaniness

Related Words denseness, dim-wittedness, doltishness, dopiness, dullness (also dulness), dumbness, feeblemindedness, gormlessness [chiefly British], idiocy, mindlessness, oafishness, obtuseness, simplemindedness, simpleness, slowness, stupidity, stupidness, vacuity; fallacy, irrationality, unreasonableness; kookiness, weirdness; laughableness, ludicrousness, ridiculousness

Near Antonyms logicality, logicalness, rationality, rationalness, reasonability, reasonableness, validity; discernment, insight, perception, percipience

Antonyms prudence, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sanity, sapience, sensibleness, soundness, wisdom

2

language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense <couldn't listen to another second of their foolishness, so I told them to be quiet>

Synonyms applesauce [slang], balderdash, baloney (also boloney), beans, bilge, blah (also blah-blah), blarney, blather, blatherskite, blither, bosh, bull [slang], bunk, bunkum (or buncombe), claptrap, codswallop [British], crapola [slang], crock, drivel, drool, fiddle, fiddle-faddle, fiddlesticks, flannel [British], flapdoodle, folderol (also falderal), folly, foolishness, fudge, garbage, guff, hogwash, hokeypokey, hokum, hoodoo, hooey, horsefeathers [slang], humbug, humbuggery, jazz, malarkey (also malarky), moonshine, muck, nerts [slang], nuts, piffle, poppycock, punk, rot, rubbish, senselessness, silliness, slush, stupidity, taradiddle (or tarradiddle), tommyrot, tosh, trash, trumpery, twaddle

Related Words absurdity, asininity, fatuity, foolery, idiocy, imbecility, inaneness, inanity, insanity, kookiness, lunacy; absurdness, craziness, madness, senselessness, witlessness; hoity-toity, monkey business, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery; gas, hot air, rigmarole (also rigamarole); double-talk, greek, hocus-pocus

Near Antonyms levelheadedness, rationality, reasonability, reasonableness, sensibleness; common sense, horse sense, sense; discernment, judgment (or judgement), wisdom

3

the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind <you didn't fail the test because of any innate foolishness but because of a lack of preparation>

Synonyms boneheadedness, brainlessness, denseness, density, dim-wittedness, doltishness, dopiness, dorkiness, dullness (also dulness), dumbness, fatuity, foolishness, gormlessness [chiefly British], mindlessness, oafishness, obtuseness, senselessness, simpleness, slowness, stupidness, thickness, vacuity, weak-mindedness, witlessness

Related Words feeblemindedness, simplemindedness; absurdity, asininity, balminess, craziness, daftness, dippiness, dottiness, fatuousness, folly, idiocy, inaneness, inanity, insanity, lunacy, madness, nincompoopery, nonsensicalness, nuttiness, preposterousness, silliness, simplicity, wackiness, zaniness; fallacy, irrationality, unreasonableness; mental deficiency, mental retardation

Near Antonyms acumen, alertness, astuteness, discernment, insight, judgment (or judgement), perception, percipience, perspicacity; sagacity, sageness, sapience, wisdom, wit; logicality, logicalness, rationality, rationalness, reasonableness, soundness, validity

Antonyms braininess, brightness, brilliance, cleverness, intelligence, keenness, quickness, quick-wittedness, sharpness, smartness