foolish
Americanadjective
-
resulting from or showing a lack of sense; ill-considered: unwise.
a foolish action;
a foolish speech.
- Synonyms:
- thoughtless, imprudent, preposterous, nonsensical, absurd, ridiculous, unintelligent, senseless, brainless, witless, stupid
-
lacking forethought or caution.
- Synonyms:
- thoughtless, imprudent, incautious, heedless, half-baked, foolhardy, reckless, rash, impetuous
-
trifling, insignificant, or paltry.
adjective
-
unwise; silly
-
resulting from folly or stupidity
-
ridiculous or absurd; not worthy of consideration
-
weak-minded; simple
-
an archaic word for insignificant
Usage
What are other ways to say foolish? A foolish action is one that shows a lack of sense or is ill-considered. How is foolish different from fatuous, silly, inane, stupid, and asinine? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- foolishly adverb
- foolishness noun
- overfoolish adjective
- overfoolishly adverb
- quasi-foolish adjective
- quasi-foolishly adverb
- unfoolish adjective
- unfoolishly adverb
Etymology
Origin of foolish
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Middle English folish, foolish; fool 1, -ish 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Because, foolish girl,” she huffed, turning around from the fireplace with a devilish grin, “I am Madam Lucille herself.”
From Literature
Framework Convention is a “shortsighted, embarrassing, and foolish decision,” said Gina McCarthy, a former director of the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times
It’s foolish to think Turkish misbehavior would be limited to these countries.
I’m coming to see the whole notion of a bucket list as a foolish — and financially irresponsible — idea.
From MarketWatch
But it would be foolish not to include AI in the conversation, as Rosenberg made clear in his note.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
