as in blunder
a foolish act or idea
writing a sequel to a Jane Austen novel must be regarded as a literary bêtise of the highest order
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bêtise
Noun
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Its acquisitions in consumer banking were at worst blunders and at best decent deals struck in pursuit of a doomed strategy.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
21 July 2025 -
Consider how McDonald's had to end an experiment with AI drive-thru ordering due to blunders that led to customer frustration and viral videos on social media.—
Rishi Kumar,
Forbes.com,
17 July 2025
Noun
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In the months since his arrest, Diop has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, according to court documents.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
3 Aug. 2025
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Claiborne's defense argued for not guilty by reason of insanity due to a history of mental illness, but the jury rejected this argument.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
31 July 2025
Noun
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Beneath the absurdity and punchlines lies a serious critique of how violence is packaged, sold, and consumed in American media.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 July 2025
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During the performance that shot her to fame earlier this month, Fan laid bare the absurdity facing many victims of domestic violence in the country.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
27 July 2025
Noun
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Serendipity and fantasy, humor and folly, seaside hotels and Chinese restaurants, all find their home in his pages.—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
5 July 2025
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Yet this naïveté is one reason the production went over budget and out of control — the folly of an apolitical approach to a political subject.—
Armond White,
National Review,
4 July 2025
Noun
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Some things are too important to leave behind — like, for instance, the notion that stupidity can be a beautiful force for good, and not just an infinite fuel supply for evil.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
30 July 2025
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In the end, Haslam’s emphasis on American stupidity is as convincing as his absolute strictures against a moral foreign policy, which in any event isn’t delegitimized by the errors of the likes of Biden and McFaul.—
Samuel Moyn,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bêtise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAtise. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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