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
Hopefully the question exposes the folly of today’s consensus.
—
John Tamny, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
See above to see the folly of the inflation definition.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
The 10-episode series (now streaming) follows the follies of the fictitious NBA team, the Los Angeles Waves, after Isla Gordon (Hudson) steps in to run it with her brothers (Drew Tarver and Scott MacArthur) when another (Justin Theroux) checks into rehab.
—Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
Events have called them to lead us through a high tide of reckless folly.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folly
John Tamny, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
See above to see the folly of the inflation definition.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
The 10-episode series (now streaming) follows the follies of the fictitious NBA team, the Los Angeles Waves, after Isla Gordon (Hudson) steps in to run it with her brothers (Drew Tarver and Scott MacArthur) when another (Justin Theroux) checks into rehab.
—Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
Events have called them to lead us through a high tide of reckless folly.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folly
Noun
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Dominguez has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to killing two people and grievously wounding a third over the space of five days in April and May 2023.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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However, on April 18, a judge in Fulton County Superior Court dropped the charges against Calabrese-Lewis, ordering that she should be declared not guilty by reason of insanity, citing her mental illness, according to the filing obtained by PEOPLE.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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From the foothills of the Berkshires arises a venerable strain of American madness, the poetry of hokum—the old weird America of medicine shows and travelling circuses and carnivals.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2025
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The chaos has Americans and the world wondering whether there’s a method behind the apparent madness.—
Laurent Belsie,
Christian Science Monitor,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Faced with a phrase that has no inherent meaning, the AI Overview still makes a good-faith effort to answer the user's request and draw some plausible explanation out of troll-worthy nonsense.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2025
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None of this ‘support the teams from your country in Europe’ nonsense.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Within the film’s glittering absurdity, Langlois shows us how easily the monster that was fame and fandom could turn on women like Mimi and Billie.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2025
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Based in Brooklyn, the studio will focus on stories that go inside the fringe to capture the absurdity of modern American life.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The simplicity of his resting place follows the express request made by Francis in his will.—
Fatima Al-Kassab,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2025
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Asawa’s own words posted throughout the exhibit reflect the simplicity of her genius.—
Robert Taylor,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The stupidity of enacting a massive tax increase on the entire global economy at this point doesn’t make much sense.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
5 Apr. 2025
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Trump himself personifies stupidity’s essential feature — self-satisfaction, an inability to recognize the flaws in your thinking.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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From physical fights to is-he-or-isn’t-he paternity test foolishness and now revenge p-rn, the storylines can get out of control.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
7 Apr. 2025
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The Adams case is not the only one that will bring the foolishness of this directive into sharp relief.—
Andrew C. McCarthy,
National Review,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Use it to find and retrieve stray nuts or bolts in any crevice.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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Without that pollination, almond trees produce only 200 pounds of nuts per acre.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Folly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folly. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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