1
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
foolish people who thought that the world would end in the year 2000 a foolish scheme that was supposed to make us all rich
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in absurd
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
foolish attempts to construct a perpetual motion machine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in small
lacking importance
the current regulations are cluttered with foolish details that are unnecessarily burdensome
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 foolish
If Florida is worried about China’s rise, dismantling educational and cultural exchanges is a foolish response.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
But the Stars should be trying to goad the Wild into foolish penalties.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The New York Times looks foolish.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Instead, Stewart has chosen to turn her own foolish answers on the tax collector report into a bid for martyrdom.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foolish
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
But the Stars should be trying to goad the Wild into foolish penalties.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The New York Times looks foolish.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Instead, Stewart has chosen to turn her own foolish answers on the tax collector report into a bid for martyrdom.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolish
Adjective
-
Directed by Nicolas Athane and Marco Nguyen, Jim Queen is a crass, profane, giddily stupid romp through a heap of stereotypes about gay life in Paris.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
-
For the record, those students are not stupid.—
Hope Loudon,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Most absurd of all is the notion that Trump specifically worries about being seen as indulging in frivolity during wartime.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
-
Cue a mordantly absurd scene where his chance to land a position in the administration hinges on him successfully retrieving a precious package from a muddy field behind enemy lines, which turns out to be a damp and recalcitrant cat.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
The hit was a small smudge on Bruins ace Taylor Tinsley’s line, finishing with two strikeouts and three hits across the five innings.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
-
Four nations will be making their debut next month, including tiny Curaçao, the smallest by population ever to qualify.—
James Robson,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
Even though the percentages and point-system, along with simulcast rules, can seem silly and out of touch with creative and investment reality, CanCon made possible global hits like Crave and HBO’s hockey romance series Heated Rivalry.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
21 May 2026
-
That tension — something prosaic or silly culminating in something hilarious and transfixing — achieved what poor Vandenberg and her pratfalls could not.—
Anna Peele,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
That is pretty bizarre, given how fantastic both atmospheres have been throughout the playoffs.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Rather than representing a bizarre evolutionary innovation unique to salamanders, regeneration may actually reflect an ancient trait that many vertebrates once possessed more broadly.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
While minor, the crashes point to challenges in object recognition and spatial awareness, particularly in complex parking or tight urban environments.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
-
The Porter County Election Board worked through some minor kinks with the county’s new voting equipment during the election certification at noon on Friday in the tabulation room of the Elections & Registration Office.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
There, a mad, out-of-control Mary lives on as tenaciously as George Washington’s inability to tell a lie.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
At this maddest of sporting institutions, that is perhaps the craziest hope of all.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
In any other historical period, proposing such a career trajectory would’ve seemed mildly insane — like if Peter Buck had followed up Fables of the Reconstruction by producing Whitney Houston instead of the Feelies.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2026
-
For so much of the season, Rachel is low-key stoned, which can keep her at a remove, even when things are getting really insane.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolish. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
