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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Sam McDowell 5, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
The teams compete to fool celebrity judges in this lighthearted show.
—Rachel Choy, Refinery29, 5 Feb. 2026
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Feb. 2026
And don’t let the utilities and their friends fool you.
—Kendall Keelen, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fool
Noun
For years, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been a wizard at designing blitzes that fool quarterbacks.
—Sam McDowell 5, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
The teams compete to fool celebrity judges in this lighthearted show.
—Rachel Choy, Refinery29, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
These ads may not have fooled as many of us as their makers seemed to think.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Feb. 2026
And don’t let the utilities and their friends fool you.
—Kendall Keelen, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool
Noun
-
Even then, though, the popular take — the story of the lunatics taking over asylum — didn’t sit right with me.—
Paul Fischer,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Beating these lunatics was incredible, right?—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Austrian director Adrian Goiginger’s film Four Minus Three, the true story of a professional clown struck by tragedy, has won the Europa Cinemas Label as best European film in the Panorama section of the Berlinale.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Feb. 2026
-
There will be a clown, face painting and balloon art for the kids.—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Pisces are suckers for anything romantic.—
Katherine J Igoe,
InStyle,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Why to Prune Viburnums Viburnums seldom need pruning other than to remove damaged, diseased, and dead branches, or sucker shoots that grow straight up from the roots but don’t flower.—
Luke Miller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
When federal policy creates an opportunity to bring additional resources into a state’s education ecosystem, leaders would be foolish to ignore it.—
Susana A. Mendoza,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The fear of looking foolish lasts a moment.—
Brendan Keegan,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Neglecting The Kitchen Sink Your sink may look spick-and-span, but looks can be deceiving.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
16 Feb. 2026
-
But a superficial comparison between Delta, United, and American across certain headline metrics can be deceiving.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
His multiple titles are regularly joked about at major social gatherings and online.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Rafters-packed on the opening night of a quick week run of singing, joking and prancing through Segerstrom Hall, this show is a potent, cheery stepchild of half-century old Monty Python humor.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Rather than the usual crisscross pattern, Holmes’ sweater features solid block diamonds in bold colors for a harlequin look that is honestly a breath of fresh air.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Like an ex-NatGeo marine videographer, who can film guests drift diving through walls of harlequin sweetlips, as if the spirit of Jacques Cousteau was puppeteering their wetsuits.—
Tristan Rutherford,
Robb Report,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Picture a waterfront bustling with bobbing fishing boats and the air tinged with the scent of fresh seafood, as San Hing Praya Street and Pak She Praya Road dish out alfresco dining scenes straight out of a sunset lover's dream.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
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Under a sprawling white tent on Miami Beach, thousands of food lovers gathered Saturday to eat, drink and celebrate in style.—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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