FOOLS Synonyms: 306 Similar and Opposite Words

fools 1 of 2

noun

plural of fool

as in lunatics

a person who lacks good sense or judgment only a fool would attempt to climb that mountain unprepared

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in clowns

a person formerly kept in a royal or noble household to amuse with jests and pranks a king's fool could get away with saying things that others in the palace couldn't

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in suckers

a person with a strong and habitual liking for something I'm a fool for ice cream

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in maniacs

a person having or showing a severely disordered or abnormal state of mind he got out of serving in the army by successfully pretending to be a fool

Synonyms & Similar Words

fools

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of fool

as in tricks

to cause to believe what is untrue I fooled him into thinking that we were driving to the store, not to his surprise birthday party

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in jokes

to make jokes an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 fools

Noun

This is an ignoble war making monsters and fools out of its participants, and against the uncontrollable weapons that are dragons, everyone’s resolve is crumbling. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 June 2026 This game makes fools of us all. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 16 June 2026 One reason this war may linger is because most of the leaders of these countries and militias know that history has its eyes on them, and there will be a moral, political and economic accounting that will be devastating for each one of these fools. — Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 16 June 2026 The American media look here like fools, as does the conspiratorial mirror image imagining a vast secret US operation. — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 15 June 2026 Flecks of mica and pyrite and who knows what, but only fools and greenhorns mistake it for gold. — John Archibald, Southern Living, 11 June 2026 As Rose’s impoverished yet imperious mother Ruth, Parson’s dry deliveries offer great comic ballast to this ship of fools. — Frank Rizzo, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026 Antisemitism is the socialism of fools, right? — Suzanne Schneider, The New York Review of Books, 25 Mar. 2026 Only fools would think differently. — ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026

Verb

Runway, Pika, and a dozen others can produce footage that fools the eye on first watch. — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026 What fools these non-OpenAI mortals must be. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fools

Noun

The lunatics are running the asylum.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026
Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Michael Cera, Will Arnett and other lunatics round out the cast.

— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026

Definition of lunatics

Noun

Interview ended with a tender reunion between Lestat and Louis, and audiences’ appetite for the sexy blood-suckers, arguably the hottest couple on TV, has only grown in anticipation of the latest installment of their story.

— Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
Snip any side shoots and suckers that develop on the first 2 to 3 feet of the vine so the plant will focus its energy on a strong main vine and fruit, to grow more quickly.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 July 2026

Definition of suckers

Noun

Because Sidney Prescott, now Evans, exists only in relationship to Ghostface, the costume worn by many different knife-wielding maniacs over the years, starting with her high school boyfriend.

— Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 3 Mar. 2026
Because Sidney Prescott, now Evans, exists only in relationship to Ghostface, the costume worn by many different knife-wielding maniacs over the years, starting with her high school boyfriend.

— Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026

Definition of maniacs

Verb

The food team at Southern Living often jokes that there are no original recipe ideas left.

— Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 July 2026
In It Was an Accident, Walter jokes about her dating life, her kids and the current political climate all while incorporating the crowd in her standup.

— Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026

Definition of jokes

Noun

Berries, spinach, chia and nuts add micronutrients that refined carbs cannot deliver.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 15, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
Accompanied by her family, the writer came to find all kinds of natural abundance, from bay nuts on the roadside to chanterelles in the forest.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026

Definition of nuts

Noun

Like any public hearing, there were a few jokers who had some strange outbursts, but the majority of the over a dozen speakers weren’t satisfied with Gower’s presentation and used their times to ask questions of the owners as to what has taken so long with this project.

— Brian Welk, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
Students are required to bring two full decks of cards including the jokers.

— Kris Slugg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026