as in fopperies
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 bêtises
Noun
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Working with Chhaya clients who were facing foreclosure, Mamdani got an intimate look at the little insanities of the city’s housing crisis.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Royals made two critical such blunders in a 7-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Kauffman Stadium.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2026
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Delinquent financing, lawsuits, project delays, construction blunders and defects, evidence that some workers were forced to live in an East Bay warehouse, allegations of slave labor, and a death haunted the property while Z&L owned it.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Noun
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According to Sosnick, investors today may be too focused on companies’ rosy short-term guidance and assuming the good times will last — one of the many follies of those who got burned in 2000.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
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This might seem like an overreaction, but Gator fans have had to endure these subtle shots all offseason, culminating in the brutal USA Today fluff piece defending Napier's follies in Gainesville.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Noun
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There’s unintentional comedy in the earnest impersonations that Assayas’s movie relies on, and it would have been improved by a similarly overt embrace of its absurdities.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
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The comedian’s monologue took the approach of pointing out the litany of absurdities related to the WHCD, including before, during and after the event.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For the past four years, Honan has been a worm in Adams’s apple, scoring scoop after scoop about the dramas, inanities, and intrigues of his administration.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bêtises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAtises. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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