folly

noun fol·ly \ ˈfä-lē \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: folly in a Sentence

Definition of folly

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

b 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

See folly defined for English-language learners

See folly defined for kids

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

Trying to accuse us of killing the seals is utter folly.

— amanda erickson, Washington Post, "Seals are being killed in northern France, and no one knows why," 13 May 2018
What seems at first to be a gallery of narcissistic rogues turns into something else, a study in equal-opportunity romantic folly.

— joe morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Let the Sunshine In’ Review: The Infinite Allure of Mr. Wrong," 26 Apr. 2018
Some Democrats were similarly dubious that their votes were not in folly.

— philip elliott, Time, "The Shutdown Ended Because Democrats Lost Their Spine," 22 Jan. 2018
Even a helicopter fly-over will enlighten Senators and Representatives to the folly of the need and scope of the project.

— john benson, cleveland.com, "Lakewood Mayor talks resiliency initiative to strengthen city's future," 11 Jan. 2018
Given America’s entanglement with China, an all-out trade war would be sheer folly.

— The Economist, "A threatened trade war between China and America may be on hold," 24 May 2018
She was not considered threatening, as a man in woman’s dress might be, but something of a folly, an antic, a sport.

— Longreads, "The Roaring Girls of Queer London," 8 May 2018
Antigone’ Sophocles’ Greek tragedy of order, honor and the folly of displeasing the gods, as adapted for the modern stage by the Theatrical Mining Company.

— chris kaltenbach, baltimoresun.com, "Balloons, a Broadway star and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark': the best of Baltimore's arts and entertainment scene this week," 6 May 2018
Spiegel's performance on the conference call underscored the folly of giving an untested entrepreneur unassailable control over a company.

— michael hiltzik, latimes.com, "Snap Inc. again shows why it should not have become a public company," 2 May 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

folly Synonyms

FOLLY Defined for English Language Learners

folly

noun

Definition 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