1
as in insanity
a foolish act or idea
the American purchase of Alaska was originally considered a grand folly
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in madness
lack of good sense or judgment
in all my folly, I didn't think about how my actions would hurt my father
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
enough of this folly about moving to the Australian outback
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of folly
The past half century reveals a record not of strategic brilliance, but of consistent folly, as the regime has waged wars badly—failing to achieve its objectives, creating new enemies, and inflicting more damage on itself than on others.
—
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Evidence that the Democrats are not concerned about the cost of their folly found a place in the emergency bill.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
The commercial or enterprise ramifications of this folly were low stakes.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
But controlling the weather, at least as Irving Langmuir envisioned it, was just plain folly.
—Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for folly
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Evidence that the Democrats are not concerned about the cost of their folly found a place in the emergency bill.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
The commercial or enterprise ramifications of this folly were low stakes.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
But controlling the weather, at least as Irving Langmuir envisioned it, was just plain folly.
—Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for folly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folly
Noun
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The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.—
Mary Ramsey
April 8,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Clancy will be undergoing a forensic psychological evaluation later this week after Reddington informed the court of her intention to plead not guilty by reason of insanity at trial.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The UConn men and women have created countless memories through the madness of March and onto the championships won in April.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
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Monthly records for the state go back to 1895, so experts know there's a lot to March's madness.—
Alan Gionet,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Actor James Tolkan, who was Tom Cruise’s no-nonsense commander in Top Gun and Marty McFly’s even less-nonsense Vice Principal in the Back to the Future films, has died.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2026
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The notion of characterizing such a move as anything more than penalizing the public — which is finally balking at more taxation — is nonsense.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The absurdity is that Democratic voters outnumber Republicans in California by nearly 2 to 1.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
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When the couple falls into a little Noel Cowardesque riff, the play’s central confession arrives like a comic absurdity.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Their simplicity in dress masks their tremendous success.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
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On one hand, there’s a simplicity to the song, and yet there’s a lot of complex things going on behind it.—
Steve Appleford,
SPIN,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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If not for the stupidity of Joe Biden and the Democrats, ICE would have an easier job.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Smart, skilled, hardworking people gracefully put up with all manner of tragedy, stupidity, and institutional rot.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There’s a heartwarming idiocy to their pursuit, yet what festers underneath is their inability to process grief consciously and the fear that those who deem their existence meaningless might be right.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
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Gunther and Tig are two billionaire failsons who have wasted countless opportunities and cash chasing the stupidest ideas and who get rewarded over and over again for their idiocy.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This season Fears has shown both the maturity of the player who came back to discuss his actions with his head coach, and the foolishness of the hothead who responded with the hard foul.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
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There was no foolishness tolerated from him and, of course, Magic, his lieutenant.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Folly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folly. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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