1
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
2
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
3
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
4
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
1
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
2
as in jokes
to make jokes
an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fools
Ryan Byrnes, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
If the Phillies are willing to eat part of the remaining $20 million that Castellanos is owed, the Dodgers would be fools not to swoop into the sweepstakes.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Welcome back, friends and fools, to year FIVE of the Vulture Movies Fantasy League.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
The men largely act like fools in Splitsville.
—Nigel Smith, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Witty, observant, and unwilling to suffer fools, Elizabeth Bennet is the original challenger brand.
—Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Now Swiftian color theory is a game for fools and mad men, but just keep that in mind.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
Recent years have seen thousands of Palestinian properties illegally seized, but the Khalidis would not be taken for fools.
—Ryan Byrnes, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
If the Phillies are willing to eat part of the remaining $20 million that Castellanos is owed, the Dodgers would be fools not to swoop into the sweepstakes.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Welcome back, friends and fools, to year FIVE of the Vulture Movies Fantasy League.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
The men largely act like fools in Splitsville.
—Nigel Smith, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Witty, observant, and unwilling to suffer fools, Elizabeth Bennet is the original challenger brand.
—Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Now Swiftian color theory is a game for fools and mad men, but just keep that in mind.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fools
Noun
-
So that episode will make fun [of] billionaire life-extension body-hacking lunatics.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Whether those people are sickened by grief and rage into a kind of temporary insanity, genuine lunatics, hustlers looking to milk a little more engagement or some combination of the three doesn’t really matter.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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More than a decade later, the series continues to reimagine American histories and channel primal fears — from clowns and cults, to witches and ghosts — with each installment cloaked in social commentary and camp.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
-
But that won't ease the fears of anyone who categorizes clowns as monsters.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Train yourself to look for growth that should be removed, such as tomato suckers and low-growing tomato branches, excess dahlia foliage, and tangled thyme.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The little suckers will ingest this and die.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Haunted Trail takes visitors outdoors through a path with dense fog and several haunting installations with zombies, a ghoul bus, a graveyard filled with ghosts, chainsaw maniacs and more.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Seeing empty floor tricks the brain into thinking there is more space than there is.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Oct. 2025
-
In one common attack, known as GPS spoofing, hackers transmit false location data that tricks a drone into flying off course.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The group of veterans in the back often jokes about fantasy football and other sports.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
-
In a viral TikTok video, a cat owner catches her cat doing something unusual with her eye, and immediately jokes about a potentially expensive vet visit.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Some nuts and seeds are higher in magnesium than others and are smart choices for those looking to boost their intake.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Instead of saturated fat, the current guidelines encourage eating foods that are high in unsaturated fat, including nuts, avocados and olive oil, which are linked to lower cardiovascular risk.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
And for coffee lovers, the Barista Touch espresso machine delivers café-quality drinks with the tap of a finger.—
Melissa Knific,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 Oct. 2025
-
That means this fall’s Diet Coke run is a must-grab moment for flavor lovers, retro enthusiasts and anyone who appreciates a good soda throwback.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fools.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fools. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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