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
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Feb. 2026
Sadly, OpenAI plays us for fools.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 Feb. 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
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026
Noun
April 1, because this cast is full of fools.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Feb. 2026
Sadly, OpenAI plays us for fools.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 Feb. 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
Verb
What fools these non-OpenAI mortals must be.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fools
Noun
-
Even then, though, the popular take — the story of the lunatics taking over asylum — didn’t sit right with me.—
Paul Fischer,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Beating these lunatics was incredible, right?—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Performances and stunts are delivered by international acrobats and clowns during music and light shows.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
-
That was so, so, so touching, going to a real hospital with the clowns.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Pisces are suckers for anything romantic.—
Katherine J Igoe,
InStyle,
19 Feb. 2026
-
To remove the suckers growing at the base of some viburnum species, cut them back at ground level.—
Luke Miller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Feb. 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
-
Wasps are territorial, so hanging a fake nest near a problem area tricks them into thinking another colony has already claimed the space.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
When Bad Bunny began the halftime show by carrying a football around his detailed Levi’s Stadium set, jokes that the artist had accumulated more yards than the Patriots flooded social media.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
One member of staff jokes that upon seeing Ho, there is a sudden impulse to salute, not out of fear, but out of sheer pride in the project.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After iftar, the evening meal that breaks their daytime fast, families gather to watch their picks from the year’s crop of soap operas and political and historical dramas, snacking on sweets and nuts and drinking tea and coffee until late into the night.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Tiger nuts may aid digestion, support weight loss, regulate blood sugar, boost heart and immune health, and reduce inflammation.—
Lana Barhum,
Verywell Health,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Outdoor lovers can explore Monroe Lake, the Hoosier National Forest, historic limestone quarries, and year-round festivals just an hour from Indianapolis.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Margarita lovers, Sunday is calling.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fools.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fools. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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