tomfoolery

noun

tom·fool·ery ˌtäm-ˈfül-rē

-ˈfü-lə-

Synonyms of tomfoolery next

: playful or foolish behavior

Did you know?

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

There was a lot of tomfoolery going on behind the scenes. the open bar may have had something to do with the tomfoolery at the wedding reception

Recent Examples on the Web Of course, the Scientologists were none too pleased with his tomfoolery. —

Diego Ramos Bechara, Variety, 30 Aug. 2024 Was there any specific reason behind the Cleveland tomfoolery, these 6-foot high letters that have given more than a few air travelers an uneasy, eerie (or Erie) feeling? —

Journal Sentinel, 23 May 2024 Its closest relative is Halloween, another holiday rooted in tomfoolery and chaos that unites and divides us in equal measure. —

Marianne Eloise, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2024 The post even revealed some of the tomfoolery that goes on when the actors are not yet in character. —

Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for tomfoolery

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tomfoolery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.