as in fopperies
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bêtises
Noun
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Working with Chhaya clients who were facing foreclosure, Mamdani got an intimate look at the little insanities of the city’s housing crisis.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That was indicative of how Buffalo’s blunders proved costly.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
18 Jan. 2026
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Williamson County based Ramsey Solutions has also come up with an effective guide to avoid any regifting blunders.—
Gabrielle Chenault,
Nashville Tennessean,
28 Dec. 2025
Noun
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And now the supercilious Ivy League twits try to dodge the consequences of their woke follies.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
24 Dec. 2025
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The follies of youth can go both ways.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Foster gives a taut performance despite the unstrung absurdities of the plot.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
16 Jan. 2026
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Over the years, Tatarsky has expanded the performance into a series of existential vignettes, introducing additional tortured artists who each confront the anxieties and absurdities of life in ways that feel both deeply personal and universally relatable.—
Eva Remijan-Toba,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For the past four years, Honan has been a worm in Adams’s apple, scoring scoop after scoop about the dramas, inanities, and intrigues of his administration.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bêtises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAtises. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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