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
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
That's not to say anything about the company itself; only a fool would bet against Musk given his track record at Tesla .
—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
Samantha Elkins,
NBC news,
30 June 2026
Jeopardy’s clue writers appear to have been fooled by a viral tweet that purported to show an image from the original Tetris instruction booklet.
—
Louis Peitzman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fool
Noun
One reason this war may linger is because most of the leaders of these countries and militias know that history has its eyes on them, and there will be a moral, political and economic accounting that will be devastating for each one of these fools.
—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
That's not to say anything about the company itself; only a fool would bet against Musk given his track record at Tesla .
—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
Verb
Scammers used sophisticated research and impersonation techniques to fool their victims.
—
Samantha Elkins,
NBC news,
30 June 2026
Jeopardy’s clue writers appear to have been fooled by a viral tweet that purported to show an image from the original Tetris instruction booklet.
—
Louis Peitzman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool
Noun
-
As a Spurs fan, I was particularly invested in Campbell in an England shirt and recall charging around the living room like a lunatic before the reality that it had been chalked off hit home.
-
The lunatics are running the asylum.
Noun
-
The group demonstrated near the Washington Monument and was met by a few counter protestors, one of which played clown music throughout the majority of the demonstration.
-
But many did not, as the 1981 episodes tell the grim tale of a young girl named Sylvia (Barash), who is raped by a stranger wearing a horrifying clown mask.
Noun
-
But Kiyoko is a sucker for a happy ending, and things tie up neater than the rest of the film might otherwise suggest.
-
Removing the suckers encourages better air circulation and focuses the plant’s energy on producing fruit, says Singh.
Adjective
-
Further, Plato’s disdain for Gorgias, Antisthenes’ first teacher, and sophistry in general is clear; in the Platonic dialogue Gorgias, the titular character is made out to be rather foolish.
-
One is villianized and one is made to look foolish.
Verb
-
Appearance, though, can be deceiving, but luckily, this shed is still packed with smart features and a clever design that will keep all your belongings safe.
-
Here, however, the joke is that appearances can be deceiving — or to be more specific, that trying to act like a character in a movie is a reckless, unwise thing to do.
Verb
-
Stickler may or may not have hinted about the end of the relationship in April, joking about an ex-boyfriend.
-
In July 2024, Reynolds joked that he and Lively might not be done having kids, telling E!
Noun
-
Mantzoukas was willing to look like a maniac and a moron in equal measure.
-
Lluís then calls Puig Antich a moron.
Noun
-
Colorado potato beetles target potato plants, while harlequin beetles do damage to brassica family plants like kale, cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli.
-
For the event, Kaling donned a strapless Elie Saab gown covered in crystal embroidery, which included a harlequin pattern and a sheer skirt.
Cite this Entry
“Fool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
