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
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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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to joke
to make jokes
an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fool
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
The American media look here like fools, as does the conspiratorial mirror image imagining a vast secret US operation.
—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
One is to emphasize Iago—the guileful, insinuating convincingness of this malicious supervillain, who works on Othello to the point where any reasonable man would be deceived and fooled and worked into a rage that can lead to such a catastrophe.
—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fool
Noun
This game makes fools of us all.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
The American media look here like fools, as does the conspiratorial mirror image imagining a vast secret US operation.
—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
Speaking on Harvard Business School’s The Founder Mindset podcast, hosted by senior lecturer and serial entrepreneur Reza Satchu, the Shark Tank investor argued that anyone trying to balance a young company against the rest of their life is fooling themselves.
—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
One is to emphasize Iago—the guileful, insinuating convincingness of this malicious supervillain, who works on Othello to the point where any reasonable man would be deceived and fooled and worked into a rage that can lead to such a catastrophe.
—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool
Noun
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The lunatics are running the asylum.
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Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Michael Cera, Will Arnett and other lunatics round out the cast.
Noun
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The island village is beset by sea hags, serial killers, creepy clowns and other evils that interfere with Tom’s dream of turning Widow’s Bay into a Martha’s Vineyard-like tourist destination.
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Even the announcers are laughing at the clown Way to swing the bat.
Noun
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Good choices include live sunfish, suckers, bullheads, carp, goldfish, and chubs.
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Southerners are suckers for cities on the water, and the charming community of Stuart, Florida, is abundantly blessed on that front.
Adjective
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For one, the corporation made major investments in WeWork, a coworking space startup that imploded in spectacular fashion in 2019, leaving the possibility that his all-in on AI could come to look foolish as well.
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Some thought the move was foolish.
Verb
-
The thing is, a lot of people have a talent for deceiving the public.
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Park and weather officials alike emphasize to Grand Canyon visitors that hiking conditions can be deceiving.
Verb
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Stickler may or may not have hinted about the end of the relationship in April, joking about an ex-boyfriend.
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In July 2024, Reynolds joked that he and Lively might not be done having kids, telling E!
Noun
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Mantzoukas was willing to look like a maniac and a moron in equal measure.
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Lluís then calls Puig Antich a moron.
Noun
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For the event, Kaling donned a strapless Elie Saab gown covered in crystal embroidery, which included a harlequin pattern and a sheer skirt.
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Colman Domingo wore a colorful custom Valentino look based on the house's harlequin motif.
Cite this Entry
“Fool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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