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
Nicasio was one of the lead designers who helped create three of the follies, which were commissioned by the City of Davis.
—Brady Halbleib, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Malinin got a bit of redemption for his follies at the Olympics with a third-straight men's individual world title in Prague, and then finally had some fun after weeks of drama following his every move.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
That brings us back to the folly of lionizing Kent as a conscientious objector to Trump and the president’s hawkish foreign policy as of late.
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026
The exercise allowed Americans to see the folly of burning millions of taxpayer dollars just so someone could star in a TikTok reel.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for folly
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Brady Halbleib, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Malinin got a bit of redemption for his follies at the Olympics with a third-straight men's individual world title in Prague, and then finally had some fun after weeks of drama following his every move.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
That brings us back to the folly of lionizing Kent as a conscientious objector to Trump and the president’s hawkish foreign policy as of late.
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026
The exercise allowed Americans to see the folly of burning millions of taxpayer dollars just so someone could star in a TikTok reel.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 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 3 Apr. 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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