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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foolishness
For this exercise in bravery – foolishness might be the better word – we were rewarded with a few small perch in about four hours of fishing.
—
Brad Dokken, Twin Cities, 22 Nov. 2025
Advertisement With apt timing, manner, and physicality, DiCaprio translates Bob’s foolishness into a dazzling comedic show.
—Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Yet for all of his stoned foolishness, Bob has clearly imparted a real distrust of authority to his kid.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
The foolishness of the governor’s gibe was underscored by the progressive, staunchly anti-Trump Democratic mayor of San Jose.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foolishness
Brad Dokken, Twin Cities, 22 Nov. 2025
Advertisement With apt timing, manner, and physicality, DiCaprio translates Bob’s foolishness into a dazzling comedic show.
—Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Yet for all of his stoned foolishness, Bob has clearly imparted a real distrust of authority to his kid.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
The foolishness of the governor’s gibe was underscored by the progressive, staunchly anti-Trump Democratic mayor of San Jose.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foolishness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolishness
Noun
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Attached to it is a video of Andrea Yates, the real Texas woman who drowned her five children amid an episode of postpartum psychosis and was found not guilty by reason of insanity, per the New York Times.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
-
To punish her company is an act of insanity.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The whole tariff nonsense, the tariffs that were struck down by the Supreme Court, those tariffs rested on false claims by the president of the United States about economic emergency.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
4 Mar. 2026
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And don’t give me the lacking pass protection nonsense.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Chiefs lost safety Bryan Cook to the Bengals in the early madness of the negotiating window Monday.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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The two have been good friends ever since and Peterman knows exactly how to help her friend get through the planning and organizational madness that comes with planning a wedding.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Any who show up are declaring their indelible stupidity and misogyny.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Feb. 2026
-
As to the famous fine line between stupid and clever, the stupidity and the cleverness are all but inextricable, and to the point.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The company revealed that by leveraging these properties of amorphous steel, Horse Powertrain has been able to dramatically reduce the thickness of the steel layers required that make up a motor stator.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
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Still, some evidence suggests estrogen creams may improve skin elasticity, hydration, and thickness.—
Elizabeth Gulino,
Allure,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Something about the simplicity of that, coupled with the canyon’s display of deep time, reminded me how small and temporary my own existence was, and therefore how precious.—
Rosecrans Baldwin,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
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Some approaches to astrophotography emphasize simplicity and portability, while others reward patience and precision.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Various clips are making the rounds on social media where Chiefs fans are enjoying seeing Jones’ latest silliness.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
10 Mar. 2026
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This time round, though, an unfortunate silliness sometimes creeps in, where the film risks tipping over Shakespearean-size emotions into embarrassing bathos.—
Miriam Balanescu,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.—
Jonny Thomson,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Compare that to punk rock, which used dumbness as a tactic.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foolishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolishness. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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