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
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 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
This game makes fools of us all.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 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
Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
What fools these non-OpenAI mortals must be.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026
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
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
This game makes fools of us all.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 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
Noun
-
Bunch of virtue signaling clowns!—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
-
The tumbles and trust falls might start to scare you, but this is hardly these clowns’ first rodeo.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Good choices include live sunfish, suckers, bullheads, carp, goldfish, and chubs.—
Keith Sutton,
Outdoor Life,
18 June 2026
-
Southerners are suckers for cities on the water, and the charming community of Stuart, Florida, is abundantly blessed on that front.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
16 June 2026
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
Verb
-
Removing fading flowers and their seed pods tricks the plant to redirect its energy from producing seeds to producing more scapes and flower buds, as well as putting energy into root development and storing energy for the next growing season.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
3 June 2026
-
Well, at least Cindy's been fighting the good fight, which Brenda tricks her into waging alone every time.—
Entertainment Weekly,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Brittany Bell jokes that doctorate dissertation is 'coincidental' Bell, who also has a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University and a master's degree from Pepperdine University, spoke about her doctoral dissertation in the February 2025 interview.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Her lab has found even modest additions to the diet — a handful of nuts or an avocado — can enrich certain beneficial bacteria over the course of a few weeks.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
22 June 2026
-
Including foods like avocado, olive oil, nuts, or seeds can make your meal more satisfying and may also stimulate digestion.—
Morgan Pearson,
Verywell Health,
22 June 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Fools.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fools. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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