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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foolishness
The Adams case is not the only one that will bring the foolishness of this directive into sharp relief.
—
Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 15 Feb. 2025
Making any judgements about the actual validity of their complaints is the height of foolishness right now, with so much legal process runway still ahead.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025
Fonseca got tough and the line between bravery and foolishness, at times, became imperceptible.
—James Horncastle, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
The problem is not the companies but the system, whose foolishness is very clear to those, like me, who have spent decades abroad.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foolishness
Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 15 Feb. 2025
Making any judgements about the actual validity of their complaints is the height of foolishness right now, with so much legal process runway still ahead.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025
Fonseca got tough and the line between bravery and foolishness, at times, became imperceptible.
—James Horncastle, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
The problem is not the companies but the system, whose foolishness is very clear to those, like me, who have spent decades abroad.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foolishness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolishness
Noun
-
Kraepelin hoped that schizophrenia would eventually reveal itself to be a disease like neurosyphilis, which was then responsible for a large portion of the cases of insanity in psychiatry wards.—
Rachel Aviv,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
-
Way was nothing short of a force of nature in the role, bringing a mix of mania, terror and insanity to a character that felt straight out of the comic books he’s written.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
While praised by real-life doctors for being one of the more accurate medical shows, Scrubs still made room for plenty of silly, lighthearted nonsense.—
James Mercadante,
EW.com,
21 July 2025
-
In that case, this is a lot of nonsense over something that just won’t arise.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
Noun
-
Mid-season madness has officially started for the Colorado Rapids, less than a week before the MLS secondary transfer window opens.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
19 July 2025
-
Will the young girl in Horas Extras succumb to total madness?—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
17 July 2025
Noun
-
All this stupidity is only part of what makes SB 540 perhaps the year’s dumbest bill.—
Thomas Elias,
Mercury News,
18 July 2025
-
To My Canadian brothers and sisters: Please accept the sincerest apologies of many Americans for the lies, degradation and stupidity you have been subjected to by the U.S. president and his supporters and enablers.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
The pulses appear to exert varying pressure that pushes on each rift zone differently, depending on the way the rift moves and the thickness of the crust on either side.—
Nora Bradford,
Scientific American,
7 July 2025
-
If these specs are accurate, the unfolded thickness of the device is only slightly thinner (by 0.01 inches) than the previous model, while the new phone will actually be slightly heavier than its predecessor (by 0.03 ounces).—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
Traditional funds benefit from diversification and operational simplicity, while merchant banking funds can potentially drive better outcomes through hands-on involvement.—
Josipa Majic Predin,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
-
He was known for his elegant simplicity in songwriting and his love for farming and hunting.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
Amid the absurdity, the women slowly chip away at each other’s defences – finding unexpected friendship, meaning, and a strange kind of freedom.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
-
The set piece is exhilarating, not exhausting, and the heightened absurdity of it all is part of the fun.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
Use it to find and retrieve stray nuts or bolts in any crevice.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Without that pollination, almond trees produce only 200 pounds of nuts per acre.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foolishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolishness. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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