1
as in insanity
lack of good sense or judgment
the foolishness of going off to search for the fountain of youth
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foolishness
Still, foolishness can sometimes bring good results; there are good results here, and some less than good.
—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
To stratify the 400-song catalog of Carole King, let alone choose her shiniest song, is an exercise in foolishness.
—
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
This season Fears has shown both the maturity of the player who came back to discuss his actions with his head coach, and the foolishness of the hothead who responded with the hard foul.
—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
Don’t be afraid of the foolishness.
—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foolishness
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
To stratify the 400-song catalog of Carole King, let alone choose her shiniest song, is an exercise in foolishness.
—
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
This season Fears has shown both the maturity of the player who came back to discuss his actions with his head coach, and the foolishness of the hothead who responded with the hard foul.
—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
Don’t be afraid of the foolishness.
—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foolishness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolishness
Noun
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Piggott was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a trial held a year later.
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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is calling for the impeachment of the Miami-Dade judge who acquitted a woman by reason of insanity in the 2021 death of her 15-month-old daughter, arguing the ruling threatens public safety.
Noun
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Even Hauser can’t rescue this culturally insensitive, stereotype-perpetuating nonsense.
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Some beer companies even make canned versions of the drink, but forget that nonsense — there is nothing better than a fresh, handmade michelada.
Noun
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In an email to Krebs, Valadon claimed that the repo’s commit logs show that GitHub’s default protections against committing secrets—protections designed to protect unwitting or unskilled developers against exactly this kind of stupidness—had been disabled by the repo’s administrator.
Noun
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In the midst of the final stretch of World Cup madness, here are eight shows happening in Kansas City in July.
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Either Cody or Gunther wins because Sami gets screwed; Zayn will then further descend into madness and attack someone after the bell.
Noun
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Which again, highlights the stupidity of allowing these exceptions in the first place.
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Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way.
Noun
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The difference in display thickness could be a clue that one of the two devices has a less visible crease than the other.
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The beef banter just as easily boils down to recipes and preferences in style and thickness of cuts.
Noun
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Write with simplicity and heart.
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That distinction is important because the company sees simplicity as one of its greatest strengths.
Noun
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The silliness of that aspect of the story is baked into this interpretation, with several very meta acknowledgments.
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No, no jersey burnings or any of that silliness in the wake of Antetokounmpo working his way out of Milwaukee.
Cite this Entry
“Foolishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolishness. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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