1
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
foolish people who thought that the world would end in the year 2000 a foolish scheme that was supposed to make us all rich
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in absurd
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
foolish attempts to construct a perpetual motion machine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in small
lacking importance
the current regulations are cluttered with foolish details that are unnecessarily burdensome
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of foolish
Efforts to exert the barest control over their lives—sneaking off to nap, refusing to shower—are reversed, punished, and revealed to be foolish.
—
Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
Doubting Harrison Smith’s ability to keep contributing into the future would be foolish at this point, but bringing in a capable youngster who could learn from him might also benefit them once Smith retires.
—Alec Lewis, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Being cheap is completely foolish and a lot of people make that mistake.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2025
Interspersed in the narrative, there are South Asian folktales about a jackal who is punished for pretending to be a king and a foolish man who puts all his eggs in a basket.
—Malaka Gharib, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolish
Adjective
-
Amelia soon decides that stupid boys (and humans in general) aren't worth keeping around.—
-
And in practice, the experience is delightfully stupid.—
Adjective
-
Still, the sexist double standards around pockets have continued to be present in absurd ways.—
-
This whole exercise of proving the absence of antisemitism as a prerequisite to criticizing Israeli government policy is absurd.—
Adjective
-
Lee already had six permanent tattoos –– small ones easily hidden by clothing –– and thought this was a good opportunity to try out a more visible tattoo.—
-
With any luck, a little digestive distress will be just a small trade-off for getting past your illness and feeling like yourself again.—
Adjective
-
This strategy worked for him for about 10 years—and then began to bore him silly.—
-
Believing in any conspiracy theory, even one that seems as inoffensive or silly as the flat Earth theory, can set a person up to fall into larger conspiracy theories, Dashtgard says, like the idea that feminism is a global conspiracy meant to drag men down.—
Adjective
-
The bizarre purchase was revealed last year by the former Lakers player, and the topic was recently brought up during the season 6 finale of The Kardashians.—
-
Weezer has not canceled its plans to perform at Coachella this Saturday (April 12) after the wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner sustained non-life-threatening injuries during a bizarre run-in with Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers that ended in a dramatic shootout.—
Adjective
-
Aftershocks are typically minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.—
-
The incident, while ultimately only a minor one, did impact the rest of their vacation.—
Adjective
-
And the maddest thing of all is the AI Generator, who wants to marry her!—
-
The other tuna dodged their dead companions with a flick of the tail and continued their mad carousel.—
Adjective
-
Your voice is insane.—
-
But obviously winning the grand jury prize was insane.—
Cite this Entry
“Foolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolish. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share