1
as in lunatics
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
only a fool would attempt to climb that mountain unprepared
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clowns
a person formerly kept in a royal or noble household to amuse with jests and pranks
a king's fool could get away with saying things that others in the palace couldn't
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in suckers
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something
I'm a fool for ice cream
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in maniacs
a person having or showing a severely disordered or abnormal state of mind
he got out of serving in the army by successfully pretending to be a fool
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in tricks
to cause to believe what is untrue
I fooled him into thinking that we were driving to the store, not to his surprise birthday party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in jokes
to make jokes
an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fools
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
Both James Cameron and Apple Studios have made fools of those who have discounted them, but the blockbuster director has just done so more often.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 14 Jan. 2026
So our founder goes to the next best thing – friends, families and fools.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
The fools of twenty-first-century Western imperialism possessed little of the historical literacy, let alone the moral sophistication, of Arendt, Weil, and Camus.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
The mind wants desperately to connect with a person—and fools itself into seeing one in a machine.
—Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2025
None of this is meant to suggest that a trade is imminent, but if offered the chance to trade these three players for Peralta, the Yankees would be fools not to take it.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Sabonis and Zach LaVine are fringe All-Stars most seasons, Keegan Murray is a solid wing starter who shoots and defends, DeRozan can still get midrange buckets and shot-fake fools into heaps of fouls, and Malik Monk is electric in a sixth-man role.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
The result is just old-fashioned cinematic fools’ gold, in which sensationalistic blather poses as social commentary.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
But the companies aren’t led by fools.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
Both James Cameron and Apple Studios have made fools of those who have discounted them, but the blockbuster director has just done so more often.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 14 Jan. 2026
So our founder goes to the next best thing – friends, families and fools.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
The fools of twenty-first-century Western imperialism possessed little of the historical literacy, let alone the moral sophistication, of Arendt, Weil, and Camus.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
The mind wants desperately to connect with a person—and fools itself into seeing one in a machine.
—Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2025
None of this is meant to suggest that a trade is imminent, but if offered the chance to trade these three players for Peralta, the Yankees would be fools not to take it.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Sabonis and Zach LaVine are fringe All-Stars most seasons, Keegan Murray is a solid wing starter who shoots and defends, DeRozan can still get midrange buckets and shot-fake fools into heaps of fouls, and Malik Monk is electric in a sixth-man role.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
The result is just old-fashioned cinematic fools’ gold, in which sensationalistic blather poses as social commentary.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fools
Noun
-
Shame on the leadership of Minnesota — and the lunatics in the street.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2026
-
However, don't be surprised that the lunatics are in charge of the asylum and administration at UAF.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The results will show young women who look an awful lot like circus clowns, with faces hidden under layers of masks, gels, serums, and even face tape.—
Jana Pollack,
Parents,
31 Jan. 2026
-
What awaits you is an emotional journey through family, death, grief, memory, hope, and tears that also features clowns – yes, clowns!—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For a coach who thinks running the ball is for squares and suckers, that’s not exactly adapting one’s philosophy to fit your personnel.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Remove any shoots and suckers that appear on the trunk or near the roots, and get rid of crossing or dead branches.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Haunted Trail takes visitors outdoors through a path with dense fog and several haunting installations with zombies, a ghoul bus, a graveyard filled with ghosts, chainsaw maniacs and more.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
One of the dangers of the Midwestern climate is a late-winter warm spell that thaws the soil and tricks bulbs and other plants into sprouting too early.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Jan. 2026
-
This tricks incoming missiles into targeting the decoy instead of the actual jet.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
In it, DiCaprio expressively jokes with an unseen person.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Palka jokes more than once that I could be baptized at their next ceremony.—
Tara Palmeri,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Morton kosher salt; process until nuts are very finely chopped, about 30 seconds.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Granola One of the original ‘health foods,’ granola contains many nutritious ingredients, such as oats, nuts, and seeds.—
Sarah Anzlovar,
Verywell Health,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Spliced between an intense single day in the present investigation and the twisted trajectory of the young lovers’ affair in the past, the series is both a unique crime story and a riveting, sexy, psychological thriller.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
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The show centers on the relationship between Russian Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie, and Canadian Shane Hollander, played by Hudson Williams, who are rivals on the ice but lovers off of it.—
Henry Austin,
NBC news,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fools.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fools. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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