folly

noun fol·ly \ ˈfä-lē \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 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

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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

By the time the central puzzle is solved and order restored, Kleist’s heroine and his readers have learned something about forgiveness and the folly of seeing our morally flawed fellow humans as either angels or devils.

— francine prose, WSJ, "Five Best: Francine Prose on Family Troubles," 12 July 2018
The Vitra campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, is a folly lover’s dream.

— liz stinson, Curbed, "Vitra adds a kooky wood cabin to its campus of architectural gems," 29 June 2018
The folly of greed, cruelty, and malice comes through in the lives of notable biblical characters.

— jonathan l. walton, Time, "Why Authoritarians Love to Quote This Bible Passage," 22 June 2018
Trump administration ethics follies Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway also received a Hatch Act warning in March, and White House social media director Dan Scavino Jr. received a Hatch Act warning last year.

— jon brodkin, Ars Technica, "FCC Republican gets official warning after pushing for Trump’s re-election," 2 May 2018
What has been your favorite moment in FCC stadium follies history?

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: How will you feel when FC Cincinnati stadium saga ends?," 17 Apr. 2018
There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "The Universe Contains 10 to 20 Times More Galaxies Than We Thought," 13 Oct. 2016
But there is a new attraction coming to Ronkonkoma, the kind of roadside folly that used to draw travelers, like the World’s Largest Ball of Twine or a three-story Paul Bunyan.

— chris r. vaccaro, New York Times, "The Return of the Lady of Lake Ronkonkoma," 5 July 2018
Hadlow Tower in Kent was one such folly and considered the tallest Victorian example of its kind.

— lauren ro, Curbed, "Here’s your chance to live in a gothic tower," 12 June 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

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First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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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