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
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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
No one knows if Altman’s 250-gigawatt plan will prove to be brilliant or folly.
—
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
And then the follies of the ensuing play, which supplanted the earlier stand at the very same spot on the field as the most indelible and revealing snapshot of the game.
—Chris Ochsner, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025
There’s a tennis court, a wild swimming pool, and a whimsical folly tower that punctuates the landscape like a page from a storybook.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2025
In Democrats’ estimation, Republicans will eventually see their folly.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folly
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
And then the follies of the ensuing play, which supplanted the earlier stand at the very same spot on the field as the most indelible and revealing snapshot of the game.
—Chris Ochsner, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025
There’s a tennis court, a wild swimming pool, and a whimsical folly tower that punctuates the landscape like a page from a storybook.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2025
In Democrats’ estimation, Republicans will eventually see their folly.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folly
Noun
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Ellis has a history of schizophrenia, and her defense attorneys had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, but the jury ultimately rejected that claim, per the Cleveland Plain Dealer.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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Maybe Clark can dust off Scrooge comparisons if this insanity lasts until Christmas.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Yet, the severity of gendered crime during Partition wasn’t caused by an arbitrary upsurge of madness.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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But the true star of Robert Wiene’s silent classic is the German Expressionist set design, whose jarring angles and dramatic shadows enhance its tale of murder and madness.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The other side in a debate with common sense is nonsense.—
Danielle Kurtzleben,
NPR,
22 Oct. 2025
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That kind of no-nonsense mentality cuts right through all the nonsense and puts the focus on the work.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Alps is really about the absurdity of acting in general, and perhaps the specific psychological burden of the Method in particular.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
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The costumes point out the absurdity of bringing National Guard troops into cities, Faith Gill said.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The absurdity of the image—and the simplicity of the complaint—also sparked a flood of lighthearted responses.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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McMillan chose to focus on pets, building his method around simplicity.—
Jane Stern,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Why should Curtis have to back down to **maybe** save that city from its own stupidity?—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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The Snack Homiez’ back-and-forth, soothing in its stupidity, reminded me of this Kate McKinnon-Aidy Bryant two-hander from 2021.—
Charu Sinha,
Vulture,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Advertisement Aster keenly satirizes Joe’s idiocy in the face of social upheaval through the iconography of Westerns.—
Robert Daniels,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
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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
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Advertisement With apt timing, manner, and physicality, DiCaprio translates Bob’s foolishness into a dazzling comedic show.—
Robert Daniels,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
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In the world of Saturday Church, there’s no need to uphold binary foolishness.—
Juan A. Ramírez,
Vogue,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Folly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folly. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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