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The word tomfoolery owes a debt to one Thome Fole, but just who that Mr. Fole was is unclear. A court jester identified as Thome Fole was employed at Durham Abbey in the 14th century, but the record is unclear about whether Thome Fole was the given name of this particular performer, or if the name was applied as a generic moniker to jesters. Regardless, Thome Fole eventually evolved into tomfool, which was in use as a noun referring to any notable fool by the early 17th century, and as an adjective describing such fools by the mid-18th century. Tomfoolery as a term for playful or foolish behavior didn’t come into use until the early 19th century, but it’s proven to be of far more use to English speakers than tomfool.
Examples of tomfoolery in a Sentence
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
Would that all life could be filled with such tomfoolery.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025
Its closest relative is Halloween, another holiday rooted in tomfoolery and chaos that unites and divides us in equal measure.
—Marianne Eloise, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
Another aspect to note is that the AI didn’t ridicule me or otherwise play any tomfoolery about my aspiration.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tomfoolery
Cite this Entry
“Tomfoolery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tomfoolery. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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tomfoolery
noun
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