bêtises

noun

plural of bêtise
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
  1. insanities
  2. blunders
  3. follies
  4. absurdities
  5. inanities
Noun
  • 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
Definition of insanities
Noun
  • That’s 38 more opportunities for horrific pitching, lifeless hitting and mental blunders galore.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But the motivations for the murders were an unplanned series of blunders designed to correct mistakes that were made.
    — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of blunders
Noun
  • The broader opportunity costs of the United States’ Middle Eastern follies are even more insidious.
    — Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026
  • For example, Gramm-Rudman-Hollings, perhaps the most serious attempt to eliminate fiscal follies, promised to gradually reduce federal deficits until 1991, when a balanced budget would be achieved.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 15 July 2026
Definition of follies
Noun
  • Instead, the museum focuses on language, relationships, self-mockery, and life’s absurdities, with rakija served to visitors as the ultimate symbol of Balkan resilience.
    — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Zinn also lived through some of the absurdities that Yossarian encountered.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of absurdities
Noun
  • 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
Definition of inanities
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.

Browse Nearby Words

bêtise
bêtises
be (to)
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Cite this Entry

“Bêtises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAtises. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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