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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in absurd
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
foolish attempts to construct a perpetual motion machine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in small
lacking importance
the current regulations are cluttered with foolish details that are unnecessarily burdensome
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foolish
The comedy has a consistency: Everyone is guilty, everyone is needy and everyone is a little foolish and desperate.
—
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2025
Chat The idiot plot requires every character involved to be too foolish to stop it.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for foolish
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2025
Chat The idiot plot requires every character involved to be too foolish to stop it.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for foolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolish
Adjective
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Friendships built on insecurity, where men constantly have to prove their manhood, are a breeding ground for toxic attitudes and stupid decision-making.—
Terry Ward,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2025
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Also, his team told him over the radio, basically, don’t do anything stupid, Nato is going to be penalized for not using all his Attack Mode.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This whole exercise of proving the absence of antisemitism as a prerequisite to criticizing Israeli government policy is absurd.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
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Still, the sexist double standards around pockets have continued to be present in absurd ways.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In 2022, a consortium of private retirement-plan providers announced a collaboration to boost the portability of small retirement accounts.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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The space consists of two levels—one for dancing and one for dining at small cocktail tables.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This strategy worked for him for about 10 years—and then began to bore him silly.—
Art Spiegelman,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2025
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Props to the people who green-lit Angry Birds to give kids a silly movie about infanticide.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Continue reading … 'THIS IS SO CRAZY' – DOGE reveals bizarre findings of unemployment insurance claims.—
FOXNews.com,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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He is rarely seen making a grand gesture or engaging in behavior that could be described as bizarre.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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As mentioned above, taking creatine in higher doses, such as 20 grams per day, may trigger minor side effects like water retention.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
21 Apr. 2025
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Commonly known as Tylenol, it's thought to reduce fever and relieve minor aches and pains by raising your body's pain threshold and regulating your body temperature.—
Andee Tagle,
NPR,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Biggest of thanks to Sana, Brad, Kevin, Lou, Aaron, Justin, Charlie, Vincent, Deb, Jon and the whole mad circus.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2025
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Anyone who is mad about that needs to look at life from a higher perspective.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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If 51% of the population is being so underserved, the ratio to opportunity is insane.—
Gemma Allen,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolish. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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