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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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of fools
Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Writers are indeed fools grateful for the gift of creativity despite the constant doubt.
—Beverly Gologorsky
september 5, Literary Hub, 5 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
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
Writers are indeed fools grateful for the gift of creativity despite the constant doubt.
—Beverly Gologorsky
september 5, Literary Hub, 5 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
-
Strangely, all the clowns with Ukraine flags 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 in their bio are also all silent on this one.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The sheriff threatens to arrest Morticia on account of aiding and abetting a murderer, but Gomez points out that these clowns (the cops) abandoned Nevermore to protect Normies at Pilgrim World.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The little suckers will ingest this and die.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Cephalopods’ soft bodies sprout arms and bloom with suckers at these same splits.—
Jake Buehler,
Quanta Magazine,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The interference has included both jamming—overpowering communications with strong radio signals—and spoofing, which tricks receivers into misreading their location or even the time.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Although they are born fairly helpless, infants have a few survival tricks up their swaddles.—
Elissa Strauss,
The Atlantic,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Stephen Colbert jokes about presidential run after cancellation.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Hughes jokes that Excel might be his biggest competitor, because many local authorities still rely on elaborate spreadsheets built on institutional knowledge and heuristics.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Rather, the Mediterranean diet simply underscores that the majority of your plate consists of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes, Goldstein says.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Don’t want nuts but still want the crunch?—
Melinda Salchert,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Monteverde’s cloud forest is a haven for nature lovers, with canopy walks and wildlife encounters that will delight young and old alike.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Their model allows coffee lovers to directly invest in coffee trees, funding farmers who need upfront capital to allocate for faster farm growth, whilst also getting a share of the revenue.—
Sandy Peng,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That's right, thanks to the one and only Taylor Swift for hopping on and deciding to talk with two complete idiots that don't know anything about the music industry.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
-
This doesn't mean the Furons are idiots who got lucky, though.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
These jokers in Indianapolis acting the fool.—
Chris Sims,
IndyStar,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fools.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fools. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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