1
as in insanity
a foolish act or idea
investing in that company now would be foolery
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in joking
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
let the kids have a little foolery once in a while
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foolery
Eric Andre, Tyler the Creator and Machine Gun Kelly all drop by to participate in the Jack-foolery.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2022
The whole of humanity doesn’t fit tidily into three acts, even assuming as much frame-breaking foolery as Wilder allows.
—New York Times, 25 Apr. 2022
Political pranking is traditionally thought of as benign foolery targeting the powerful.
—Stanislav Budnitsky, The Conversation, 19 Apr. 2022
Our magpie eyes will always be drawn to foolery and ephemera.
—Giles Hattersley, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2021
Once every ten years, the first of April assumes a far more significant importance than the annual sharing of April foolery.
—James Deutsch, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2020
All the organs of his body were working — bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming — all toiling away in solemn foolery.
—John Hirschauer, National Review, 17 Sep. 2019
This single photograph simultaneously invokes the histories of racial violence and racial degradation, cruelly dismissing their gravity by casting them in the guise of comedy and youthful foolery.
—Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 18 July 2019
The conceit allowed for some fancy dancing, along with a display of the talents of the musical director, Gregory Boover, who also portrayed Feste as a jazz musician, giving weight to his character’s foolery.
—Edward Rothstein, WSJ, 11 July 2019
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2022
The whole of humanity doesn’t fit tidily into three acts, even assuming as much frame-breaking foolery as Wilder allows.
—New York Times, 25 Apr. 2022
Political pranking is traditionally thought of as benign foolery targeting the powerful.
—Stanislav Budnitsky, The Conversation, 19 Apr. 2022
Our magpie eyes will always be drawn to foolery and ephemera.
—Giles Hattersley, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2021
Once every ten years, the first of April assumes a far more significant importance than the annual sharing of April foolery.
—James Deutsch, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2020
All the organs of his body were working — bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming — all toiling away in solemn foolery.
—John Hirschauer, National Review, 17 Sep. 2019
This single photograph simultaneously invokes the histories of racial violence and racial degradation, cruelly dismissing their gravity by casting them in the guise of comedy and youthful foolery.
—Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 18 July 2019
The conceit allowed for some fancy dancing, along with a display of the talents of the musical director, Gregory Boover, who also portrayed Feste as a jazz musician, giving weight to his character’s foolery.
—Edward Rothstein, WSJ, 11 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolery
Noun
-
On June 11, Lopez withdrew a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
8 July 2025
-
Stines is scheduled to undergo a psychiatric evaluation this month, with the defense preparing to pursue an insanity or extreme emotional disturbance defense.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
Idris Elba is the British prime minister (and ex-soldier) who has no time for his tomfoolery.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
-
Sadly, the Academy has released no rules preventing the tomfoolery that led to two leading actors winning the Supporting categories this year.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Amid the absurdity, the women slowly chip away at each other’s defences – finding unexpected friendship, meaning, and a strange kind of freedom.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
-
The set piece is exhilarating, not exhausting, and the heightened absurdity of it all is part of the fun.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
The other person who spoke in South Carolina, Tim Walz, is a special mixture of extreme buffoonery and a mean spirit, which is a toxic brew.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
1 June 2025
-
Certainly hope none of you will be complicit in this buffoonery.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Just one more game and a chance to make history, then a brief opportunity to rest and recharge before the madness starts up again with Palace’s visit in a little over a month.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
-
All of that campy madness sets us up for our very first comp, where players must figure out which door the host is hidden behind.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
Butch Baker, who was Henry County sheriff until 2014, recalled an incident in which Bertram was accused of inappropriate horseplay at the community corrections office.—
Tony Cook,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
-
The action anime feature for everyone who couldn’t get enough of the horseplay in The Two Towers has finally cantered onto Max.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Tirhakah Love is a senior writer at New York Magazine and the host of the new evening newsletter Dinner Party, a daily email that touches on all things entertainment — that means film, television, music, tech, and gaming — plus politics and corporate clownery.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2022
-
The Winx Club live action is a big clownery!—
Olivia Truffaut-Wong,
refinery29.com,
25 Jan. 2021
Noun
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There’s some slapstick comedy and threatening language that may need to be discussed with younger kids.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
18 July 2025
-
This is the kind of transformation the Rockies, who took Condon with the third pick in the ’24 Draft and signed him with a $9.25 million bonus, desperately need to go from slapstick comedy to serious contenders.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foolery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolery. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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