1
as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
only a fool would attempt to climb that mountain unprepared
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clown
a person formerly kept in a royal or noble household to amuse with jests and pranks
a king's fool could get away with saying things that others in the palace couldn't
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in sucker
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something
I'm a fool for ice cream
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
he's always got some fool plan or other
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
I fooled him into thinking that we were driving to the store, not to his surprise birthday party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to joke
to make jokes
an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of fool
Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
Tameesa’s Hejazi fool and its namesake tamees are a must-try at this beloved breakfast spot.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
John M. Crisp, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Don’t be fooled — career politicians have never supported independent redistricting.
—Neal Fornaciari, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fool
Noun
Filmmaking is flubbing the catch, and sometimes knowing the fool that's to blame is yourself.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
Tameesa’s Hejazi fool and its namesake tamees are a must-try at this beloved breakfast spot.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
North Korea, fooling no one, is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
—John M. Crisp, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Don’t be fooled — career politicians have never supported independent redistricting.
—Neal Fornaciari, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool
Noun
-
Parents know these woke lunatics are bullies.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
30 Oct. 2025
-
But as Plemons so deftly plays him, Teddy doesn’t seem like a lunatic.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This guy might be single-handedly responsible for generations of people having an irrational fear of clowns.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Unlike past attempts at fictionalizing his life, Macmanus barely touches on the fact that Gacy had a hobby of dressing up like a clown, and doesn’t show any actual murders in the series.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Remove any canes that are crossing or rubbing against each other, as well as any suckers that have formed.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
28 Oct. 2025
-
What sort of a cinephile isn’t a sucker for movies about movies?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s what made the Gators’ decision to retain Napier especially foolish.—
Blake Toppmeyer,
USA TODAY,
30 Oct. 2025
-
This of course was foolish in light of the fact that trade deals are incredibly complicated and take a long time to finalize.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Gordon warned me that this was deceiving.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Santos was sentenced to prison in April after admitting last year to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of 11 people — including his own family members — to make donations to his campaign.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Since posting, Astra’s story has attracted thousands of amused comments, with many followers joking about the dramatic difference between the two breeds.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The victim told police that Ising had constantly harassed him at work for two years, sitting next to him during meals and joking about his inability to eat many foods because of his medical condition.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Learn more about management options and which food plants are most susceptible to this insect in our harlequin bug on vegetables web page.—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Pity the poor actor who has to co-star opposite a 150-pound harlequin Great Dane.—
Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This is slightly digressive, but Tunde and his lover, early on in the novel, have this big argument in Lahaina, in Hawaii.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Sonic lovers can add a personalized touch to their drink for a limited time at no cost.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share