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
  • 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
  • Avoid these 8 common design blunders to make the most of even the smallest garden.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 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
  • Zinn also lived through some of the absurdities that Yossarian encountered.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • This game, and this series, is a microcosm of the absurdities of online baseball discussion.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 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 16 Aug. 2026.

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