as in blunder
a foolish act or idea
writing a sequel to a Jane Austen novel must be regarded as a literary bêtise of the highest order
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bêtise
Noun
-
The two even argued about the 2008 parking meter deal, one of the city’s biggest financial blunders.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026 -
But a series of headwinds, including a recent blunder over see-through leggings, is threatening the company's path forward.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Replacing those funds with a sales tax would be unfair and regressive while hoping that the state will come up with some other source of funding is an exercise in insanity.—
Judy Mollica,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Defense attorneys hoped to convince the jury that Gacy was not guilty by reason of insanity.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.—
Jonny Thomson,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Harry and Finis refused to play Jack Donahoe’s game of commenting on every idiocy that came across their desks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Indonesian auteur Edwin has spent much of his career examining the quiet absurdities of modern life with a cool, deadpan detachment.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Eager sycophants run behind him to carry out his directives and repeat his absurdities.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Beverage company Sazerac, which during the game had the first-ever national Super Bowl ad generated by AI, said that its revival of the Fembot and Brobot characters to sell Svedka vodka was meant to show the folly of turning over so much power to the algorithm.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Netflix's Bridgerton is a Regency-era series about the romantic follies of the noble Bridgerton family.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Which is much worse than plain old stupidity.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.—
Jonny Thomson,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Bêtise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAtise. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
