1
as in insanity
lack of good sense or judgment
the foolishness of going off to search for the fountain of youth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
couldn't listen to another second of their foolishness, so I told them to be quiet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stupidness
the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind
you didn't fail the test because of any innate foolishness but because of a lack of preparation
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 foolishness
Fonseca got tough and the line between bravery and foolishness, at times, became imperceptible.
—
James Horncastle, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
The problem is not the companies but the system, whose foolishness is very clear to those, like me, who have spent decades abroad.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
The Lakers were, again, the Lakers — the version from early this season that made optimism seem nothing like foolishness.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
For instance, there is only a tiny difference between stubbornness and perseverance or between courage and foolishness.
—Brendan Leonard, Outside Online, 21 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foolishness
James Horncastle, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
The problem is not the companies but the system, whose foolishness is very clear to those, like me, who have spent decades abroad.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
The Lakers were, again, the Lakers — the version from early this season that made optimism seem nothing like foolishness.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
For instance, there is only a tiny difference between stubbornness and perseverance or between courage and foolishness.
—Brendan Leonard, Outside Online, 21 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foolishness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolishness
Noun
-
Sending yet another one back to City Hall would be the definition of insanity.—
Whitney Tilson,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2025
-
Alissa pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but he was found competent to stand trial in 2023 after spending time at a mental hospital.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
Beyond that, the show is mostly content to amble along, loping toward the green and from time to time indulging in odd bits of nonsense.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
4 June 2025
-
Yet Towns has proven, one moment at a time, that reputation, that narrative is a bunch of nonsense.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
31 May 2025
Noun
-
Beneath that dizzying madness, McQuarrie introduced a progressively more labyrinthine mythology, knitting the installments together in ways plausible and not, and expanding Hunt from impressive spy to a more elemental force.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
23 May 2025
-
Android And The Desktop Experience Unsurprisingly, Google’s I/O developer conference leaned heavily into the future of AI (Casey Newton has a good summary of the magic and the madness coming up).—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
To critics, the obvious answer would be ego, stubbornness or just plain stupidity.—
Robert Pearl,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
-
Head shots that are not even minor penalties according to an official is just blatant stupidity.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
While there are certainly products that can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and needs, hair products are often created with specific consumers in mind.—
Annie Blackman,
Allure,
5 June 2025
-
The dial and movement are housed in a 40mm 316L polished stainless steel case with a thickness of 14.90mm.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
Listen to this article MIAMI — The Miami Heat’s approach to free agency last summer was simplicity, that Jimmy Butler would return hungry for an extension, the core would meet Pat Riley’s mandate of elevated attendance, Jaime Jaquez Jr. would make sophomore strides.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2025
-
Bronwen Sciortino, author & simplicity expert teaching easy ways to tailor-make healthy, happy & highly successful lives.—
Bronwen Sciortino,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
Delving deep into sublime absurdity, Elster transmuted Bowie into a broad range of peculiar characters.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
-
Mara opted to stay in her lane as a dramatic star to ground the absurdity of the film, including the antics between Robinson and Paul Rudd onscreen.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
Use it to find and retrieve stray nuts or bolts in any crevice.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Without that pollination, almond trees produce only 200 pounds of nuts per acre.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foolishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolishness. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share