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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
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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
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But really, a production as zany as Phil’s Follies belonged on Broadway.
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But floor it, and you quickly see that the rush is intoxicating but not pure folly.
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But his personal life, much like his oeuvre, is an unbroken chain of romantic folly.
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The director accompanies Titania’s lament over humans’ folly with a potent montage of nature under siege, bringing the material further into the present moment.
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And no chronicler of the early Trump follies is hotter than Stephen Colbert.
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Deadpan deadbeats Infinity Baby primarily follows the follies of three Infinity Baby employees: manager Ben and two of his sales people, Malcolm and Larry.
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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.
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The Pirates were not done with their fifth-inning follies.
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
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: the lack of good sense or judgment
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: a foolish act or idea : foolish behavior
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: 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
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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
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