1
as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
only a fool would attempt to climb that mountain unprepared
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2
as in clown
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
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3
as in sucker
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something
I'm a fool for ice cream
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in psychopath
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
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as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
he's always got some fool plan or other
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1
as in to deceive
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to joke
to make jokes
an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of fool
Ron Insana, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2024
Alexander felt that he had been played the fool — made to love a baby who wasn’t his to raise.
—Julia Whelan Krish Seenivasan Lance Neal, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 4 Dec. 2024
The female macaques were soon caught in traps baited with bananas and sweet potatoes, but Capone (who had a $50 bounty on his head) couldn’t be fooled.
—Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fool 
Noun
Market timing is a risky game and often a fool’s errand.
—Ron Insana, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2024
Alexander felt that he had been played the fool — made to love a baby who wasn’t his to raise.
—Julia Whelan Krish Seenivasan Lance Neal, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Verb
But, don’t be fooled, Jewels intends to enter the competition with intention and strategy.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 4 Dec. 2024
The female macaques were soon caught in traps baited with bananas and sweet potatoes, but Capone (who had a $50 bounty on his head) couldn’t be fooled.
—Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool
Noun
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The sequel is part prison drama, part musical, as incarcerated clown Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) goes on trial for multiple murders but finds a mercurial soulmate in an understanding super-fan (Lady Gaga).Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
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Many travelers make the 210-mile drive north from Las Vegas just for the clown experience.Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Can’t spin me with the sucker sh*t to take Hov down.Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 11 Dec. 2024
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But soon a handful of ghost visitors — including Carol Kane and David Johansen — scare this sucker straight.EW.com, EW.com, 30 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Stated simply, the policy errors made with regard to money were uniquely foolish.John Tamny, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
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Premature predictions of renewal would be foolish and, as Howe continually stressed, Newcastle cannot allow one strong outing to be followed by another meek one.Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The federal agency claims drivers were forced to use the accounts to get paid and were deceived about how to access their earnings, with Walmart threatening to fire workers who did not comply.Kate Gibson, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2024
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argues that allowing such participation misleads and deceives fans.Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In Orange, Perez adored Cheech and Chong and was joking for his family by age 13.Julie Seabaugh, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024
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Jeremiah joked in a tribute post to the couple after the nuptials.Liza Esquibias, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024
Noun
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But this harlequin moll can’t match Joker’s lunacy as either lawbreaker or musician.Armond White, National Review, 29 Nov. 2024
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The doll, which is called the Witch Weaver, wears flared bell-bottoms, a gossamer harlequin blouse, gold waistcoat and crystal headpiece — taking inspiration from Reed’s signature design codes, personal style and even Lady Gaga.Violet Goldstone, WWD, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The Bob Dylan that the world fell in love with was a thinker, a joker, a fighter, and sometimes a lover.Al Shipley, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
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But Tavitian, while a lover of fine wine, especially Burgundy, was not born to the manor.Ted Loos, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Or Austin Butler giving alabaster psychopath in Dune: Part Two.Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2024
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Sadly, this instinct goes both ways—psychopaths are similarly able to read others, most notably vulnerable targets.Gautam Mukunda, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near fool
Cite this Entry
“Fool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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