Definition of folly
follies
1 : lack of good sense or normal prudence and foresight his folly in thinking he could not be caught
2a : criminally or tragically foolish actions or conductb 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
Read the Latest from M-W
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 of folly from the Web
-
And only with time, once the man behind the plan died and the food disappeared from the shelves, has the folly of the approach been exposed.
-
The Pirates were not done with their fifth-inning follies.
-
Forstall Follies LLC to John M. Rowland and Aimee Rowland, $499,000.
-
Block had been working steadily for years by that point -- her gigs included voicing Barbie for Mattel commercials and prancing through a non-Equity production of Will Rogers’ Follies in Branson, Missouri, starring Pat Boone.
-
That’s the seduction of Twitter, and the folly of those who need to win Twitter arguments.
-
In the years that followed, the king and his successors went on a building spree, adding grand residences and architectural follies to the grounds.
-
Rather quickly, House Republicans realized the folly of their secret vote to end the independence of the Office of Congressional Ethics, which has the power to probe malfeasance and has exposed numerous cases of impropriety.
-
Belatedly Olana is no longer a cranky Victorian folly but that rarest of all jewels, an essay in chromatic thought.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'folly'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of folly
Middle English folie, from Anglo-French, from fol fool
FOLLY Defined for English Language Learners
folly
playDefinition of folly for English Language Learners
-
: the lack of good sense or judgment
-
: a foolish act or idea : foolish behavior
-
: a very unusual or fancy building that was built in a garden for decoration or amusement in the past
FOLLY Defined for Kids
folly
playDefinition of folly for Students
follies
1 : lack of good sense His own folly caused his trouble.
2 : a foolish act or idea That plan was sheer folly.
Learn More about folly
-
See words that rhyme with folly Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for folly Spanish Central: Translation of folly Nglish: Translation of folly for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of folly for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about folly
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up folly? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!