1
as in insanity
a foolish act or idea
the American purchase of Alaska was originally considered a grand folly
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2
as in madness
lack of good sense or judgment
in all my folly, I didn't think about how my actions would hurt my father
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
enough of this folly about moving to the Australian outback
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of folly
In Shakespeare’s time, public theater brought people together to witness the power struggles among aristocrats, the tragedy of impulsive romances, and the twists of human folly—performed live before their eyes.
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Gerui Wang, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Allowing an entity accountable to the CCP to decide who is shown what content and when is the height of folly.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
The folly of that choice was exposed in a brutal way by his disastrous performance in his one and only debate with Trump in June.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024
But Americans must guard carefully against falling prey to our own illusions and our own folly.
—Shane Croucher, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for folly 
Gerui Wang, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Allowing an entity accountable to the CCP to decide who is shown what content and when is the height of folly.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
The folly of that choice was exposed in a brutal way by his disastrous performance in his one and only debate with Trump in June.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024
But Americans must guard carefully against falling prey to our own illusions and our own folly.
—Shane Croucher, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for folly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folly
Noun
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Weeks later, more insanity ensued, the 50th home run ball selling for $4.39 million at auction, the highest price ever paid for any ball in any sport.Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
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Germain, who teaches law at Syracuse University in New York, said that, given the weight of evidence, insanity is likely the only defense that will work.David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024
Noun
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He is asked by RAF Group Captain Lionel Mandrake — a voice of reason in the madness — to recall the B-52 bombers that will end civilization.Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025
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Elsewhere, players might enjoy body-replicating madness, brutal climbing simulators, and freewheeling adventure through a magical realist take on the Deep South.Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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That ain't the show, the show is the nonsense that's happening in between John Wick.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
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By contrast, this rising international elite is creating something very different: a society in which superstition defeats reason and logic, transparency vanishes, and the nefarious actions of political leaders are obscured behind a cloud of nonsense and distraction.Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Corbet’s awkward forcing of his characters into his conceptual framework leads to absurdities and vulgarities—not least in the depiction of László’s first and only Black acquaintance, a laborer named Gordon (Isaach De Bankolé), as a heroin addict.Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
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Now Warning Issued To All iPhone Users The Game Awards 2024 Live Winners List, And Game Of The Year Such then is the delicate balance of accessibility and exclusivity, creativity and commerciality, genius and absurdity.Lilian Raji, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The simplicity of the dish hits the target on the bullseye.Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Jan. 2025
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The list includes books that emphasize simplicity, adaptability, and skill-building (and have a similar vibe to Nosrat’s book).Wilder Davies, Bon Appétit, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Watch stupidity and laziness (my much better working title for The End of Work was The End of Laziness) rapidly disappear as technological advance erases so much of what people used to do for a living in favor of living for work.John Tamny, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
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Their books’ fantasies of martyrdom and religious metaphysics are a feint so as not to recognize the need for socialism at home and abroad, and to obscure American stupidity.Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
Noun
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Fonseca got tough and the line between bravery and foolishness, at times, became imperceptible.James Horncastle, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
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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
Noun
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The property also grows its own herbs, greens, nuts, berries, and edible flowers.Bianca Salonga, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
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Focus on whole foods like fruits, leafy green vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds.Lindsay Curtis, Health, 5 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near folly
Cite this Entry
“Folly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folly. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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