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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foolishness
Five glorious days for Chiles, who already had been made to endure the rollercoaster of gymnastics rule foolishness.
—
Dana O'Neil, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024
The leaders of the current protests understand, too, that there is no overestimating the foolishness of many of today’s lemming students who will follow any radical opposition to establishment values.
—Alan M. Dershowitz, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2024
And now Duke expects its customers to pay of its foolishness?
—Ticked Off, Orlando Sentinel, 12 Nov. 2024
Then after Tyla won Best International Artist, Henson ran through the calendar to recap a year in foolishness.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for foolishness 
Dana O'Neil, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024
The leaders of the current protests understand, too, that there is no overestimating the foolishness of many of today’s lemming students who will follow any radical opposition to establishment values.
—Alan M. Dershowitz, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2024
And now Duke expects its customers to pay of its foolishness?
—Ticked Off, Orlando Sentinel, 12 Nov. 2024
Then after Tyla won Best International Artist, Henson ran through the calendar to recap a year in foolishness.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for foolishness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolishness
Noun
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This insanity aside, allowing states to override federal enforcement priorities guarantees that the federal government will have to release or fail to arrest serious criminals to make way for peaceful people targeted by states with aggressive attorneys general.—
David J Bier,
Orange County Register,
19 Jan. 2025
-
Toward the end of his frenetic set, though, DaBaby doubled down on the insanity.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The word had seemed like nonsense only a moment before.—
Anna Russell,
The New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Having a terrible job where empty, pandering nonsense is handed down by corporate headquarters.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Amid the madness and tension of the most recent presidential-election campaign, a wild form of clickbait video started flying around the political internet.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2025
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The harsh fact is that after Oct. 7 neither Israel nor the second Trump administration are going to have tolerance for Hamas continuing their reign of madness and delusion in Gaza.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
15 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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While its dimensions mirror those of the Tourbillon model at 35.5 mm wide by 38.6 mm in length, its case depth is just 7.70 mm tall owing to a movement thickness of only 3.1 mm.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
21 Jan. 2025
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If you’re predetermined to have finer strands, there are ways of inflating and boosting them to encourage the appearance of thickness, which is where styling and cuts come in.—
Elle Turner,
Glamour,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The simplicity of the dish hits the target on the bullseye.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Jan. 2025
-
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
-
These dispatches were quick flashes of absurdity, many of them lasting just a bit more than a minute.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
18 Jan. 2025
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One banking outage: how US paychecks could be affected The absurdity of the situation struck a chord with Reddit users, who responded with both concern and comedy.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The property also grows its own herbs, greens, nuts, berries, and edible flowers.—
Bianca Salonga,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Focus on whole foods like fruits, leafy green vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
5 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Foolishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolishness. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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