folly

noun

fol·​ly ˈfä-lē 

plural follies

1

: lack of good sense or normal prudence and foresight

his folly in thinking he could not be caught

2

a

: criminally or tragically foolish actions or conduct

b

obsolete : evil, wickedness

especially : lewd behavior

3

: a foolish act or idea

The prank was a youthful folly.

4

: an excessively costly or unprofitable undertaking

Paying so much for that land was folly, since it was all rocks and scrub trees.

5

: an often extravagant picturesque building erected to suit a fanciful taste

Synonyms

• absurdity
• asininity
• bêtise
• fatuity
• foolery
• foppery
• idiocy
• imbecility
• inanity
• insanity
• lunacy
• stupidity

Examples of folly in a Sentence

the folly of driving fast on steep, winding roads

his folly in thinking that he would not be noticed

The folly of such an action should be apparent to everyone.

the follies of the modern world

the famous Ziegfeld Follies of the 1920s

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, Russia has paid a staggering price for Putin’s imperial folly, with hundreds of thousands of Russian casualties since February 2022 and more than $200 billion squandered. —Lloyd J. Austin Iii, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024

This is exactly why Democrats on Sept. 30 filed a lawsuit to block this potential folly. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 9 Oct. 2024

Beyond being inspired by the follies of youth, the multidisciplinary artist’s latest body of work came as he was confronted by death. —Violet Goldstone, WWD, 21 Oct. 2024

The ability of Venture Global and Cheniere to expand the supply of natural gas in real time demonstrates the folly of the Biden Administration’s attempts to discourage LNG exports. —Wayne Winegarden, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English folie, from Anglo-French, from fol fool

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

folly

noun

fol·​ly ˈfäl-ē 

plural follies

1

: lack of good sense or judgment

2

: foolish behavior

3

: a foolish act or idea