1
as in insanity
a foolish act or idea
the American purchase of Alaska was originally considered a grand folly
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in madness
lack of good sense or judgment
in all my folly, I didn't think about how my actions would hurt my father
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
enough of this folly about moving to the Australian outback
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of folly
The current drift toward authoritarian leaders in this fractured world will leave international relations at the mercy of their whims, dreams, and follies.
—
Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
This eccentric artist has earned his folly and respect.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 Mar. 2025
Florist Ivie Joy transformed the Bard Room with white blooms and candles, which were luckily in votives to avoid recreating Sedgwick’s folly.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2025
The restorative nature of Brighton & Hove Albion’s late comeback win against West Ham highlighted the influence of Lewis Dunk and the folly of writing off the club’s long-serving captain.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folly
Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
This eccentric artist has earned his folly and respect.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 Mar. 2025
Florist Ivie Joy transformed the Bard Room with white blooms and candles, which were luckily in votives to avoid recreating Sedgwick’s folly.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2025
The restorative nature of Brighton & Hove Albion’s late comeback win against West Ham highlighted the influence of Lewis Dunk and the folly of writing off the club’s long-serving captain.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folly
Noun
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Sending yet another one back to City Hall would be the definition of insanity.—
Whitney Tilson,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2025
-
Alissa pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but he was found competent to stand trial in 2023 after spending time at a mental hospital.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Once again, the film is about the anguish of losing a loved one and the the desire to connect with the dead one more time, the annihilating madness of grief driving a person to unspeakable ends.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2025
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As Scott stumbles through a chaotic weekend, Neil proves a ride-or-die friend who may be the only sane voice in the madness of wedding season.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
30 May 2025
Noun
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But water as the power source for a vehicle is nonsense.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
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But the idea of an algorithm, which is as prone to generate nonsense as anything lucid, representing a deceased person’s thoughts or behaviors seems terrifying.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 June 2025
Noun
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The violence is always relentless, always builds, to a point of absurdity, where exaggeration becomes the point, and the joke.—
Armond White,
National Review,
11 June 2025
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Of all the absurdity in these films, that’s your issue?—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Conduct an internal discovery and simplicity audit.—
Deanna Laster,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
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While a game like No Man's Sky, with its procedural generation and ambition, might be more stunning, there's something uniquely charming and satisfying about the simplicity of Astroneer.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
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The following program will contain graphic stupidity, as four friends compete to embarrass one another – only this time in Lithuania.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
9 June 2025
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To critics, the obvious answer would be ego, stubbornness or just plain stupidity.—
Robert Pearl,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
Such utter foolishness, by another blind leading the blind, liberal democrat.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 June 2025
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Mindless as tariffs are, the foolishness of tariff imposition is magnified when the individual behind the implementation demands that prices not reflect the initial error.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
Noun
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Use it to find and retrieve stray nuts or bolts in any crevice.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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Vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, kale and asparagus are also included in most low-carb diets—as are eggs, cheese, Greek yogurt and nuts like walnuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts and pistachios.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Folly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folly. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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