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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fool
Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
While the stock eventually hit a 52-week low of $164 in mid-April, an in-depth look back in October at Apple sell calls in recent years revealed that it’s been a fool’s errand to try to time when to get out and when to get back in as the stock continued to make higher lows and higher highs.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2025
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2025
Although the name might conjure a place that's a little rough around the edges, don't be fooled—the food at Stinky's is top notch, and the live music is not to be missed.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for fool 
Noun
Wednesday’s game could be a Finals preview, but predicting June’s outcomes in January feels like a fool’s errand.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
While the stock eventually hit a 52-week low of $164 in mid-April, an in-depth look back in October at Apple sell calls in recent years revealed that it’s been a fool’s errand to try to time when to get out and when to get back in as the stock continued to make higher lows and higher highs.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater The chill is temporary Don’t be fooled: Our South Florida cold fronts don’t mean that global warming is not still a looming and deadly problem.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2025
Although the name might conjure a place that's a little rough around the edges, don't be fooled—the food at Stinky's is top notch, and the live music is not to be missed.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for fool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool
Noun
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Some of his friends also collected drawings of clowns on jailhouse envelopes sent by their dads.—
Frank Rojas,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2025
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The buzziest piece unveiled for last year’s show consisted of two large inflatable clown heads squished between two buildings.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Or, as they are officially known, scorpion suckers.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
The Arizona Republic,
20 Jan. 2025
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Many gardeners do nothing but remove suckers from the base of the shrub or tree forms and entangled branches or limbs that may affect movement around the plants.—
Tom MacCubbin,
Orlando Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In other words, the labor market and the economy remain strong and solid on their own, but could be undone by foolish economic policies that our politicians might implement.—
Harry Holzer,
Forbes,
10 Jan. 2025
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The grade partly reflects the inevitable hot streak that would make a lower grade look foolish.—
Allan Mitchell,
The Athletic,
10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Some even provide fake documents to help scammers deceive others.—
Ryan Nawrocki,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Jan. 2025
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On the other hand, disinformation is misleading or false information shared with the intent to deceive.—
Jill Hopke,
The Conversation,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Returning for his third time as host, the New York native opened his nearly five-minute monologue by joking about his frequent losses at major award shows and his struggle with facial hair.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
26 Jan. 2025
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Vance even joked about skipping Monday's inauguration to watch the Buckeyes take on Notre Dame in Atlanta.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
25 Jan. 2025
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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She was convicted in the 2001 murder, along with her lover and fellow Sunday school teacher, James Pavatt.—
Christina Coulter,
Fox News,
26 Jan. 2025
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The event brings together hundreds of religious motorcycle lovers, while raising funds to benefit St Luke’s Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility operated by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In the teaser, David says that every single person is a narcissistic psychopath on this show.—
Chris Gardner,
The Hollywood Reporter,
7 Jan. 2025
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Gibson is making 1991’s Dexter his own, Brown said, by thriving in the complex mask-work that’s required to play a lethal psychopath learning to conceal his still-emerging condition.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
23 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near fool
Cite this Entry
“Fool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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