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
-
Shrader missed badly from 60 yards but Tillman’s infraction gave the Colts another untimed down and Shrader nailed the do-over to give Indy its first 2-0 start since 2009 and send the Broncos home with big regrets over their blunder.—
Arnie Stapleton,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025 -
Pittsburgh Steelers kick returner Kaleb Johnson suffered an unfortunate blunder during the team’s game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Those members of Bachelor Nation who aren't familiar with the #MomTok insanity will have several months to get up to speed, as Paul's season of The Bachelorette will not premiere until 2026.—
Kristen Baldwin,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
-
She was later extradited from South Korea in 2022, PEOPLE previously reported, and has since pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and is pursuing an insanity defense.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But my naivete and idiocy about what this was going to take was staggering to me just six months later.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
But coming from Alexander Karp, the CEO and cofounder of Palantir Technologies, this concern-trolling about a growing censoriousness in ‘the culture’ feels almost intentional in its absurdity.—
Book Marks
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The result is an absurdity that can elicit instinctual laughter at the grossest imagery imaginable.—
Robert Niles,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And, of course, there’s no way Trump would bend and sign Massie’s bill into law, meaning this whole thing is a legislative folly.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
-
This folly—which Iran has sternly warned against—is immoral, unjustified, and unlawful.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Heck, maybe its sheer stupidity.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Trying to move in earlier to accommodate a pittance of an audience is mind boggling stupidity.—
Pol Ballus,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share