1
as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
only a fool would attempt to climb that mountain unprepared
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clown
a person formerly kept in a royal or noble household to amuse with jests and pranks
a king's fool could get away with saying things that others in the palace couldn't
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in sucker
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something
I'm a fool for ice cream
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
he's always got some fool plan or other
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
I fooled him into thinking that we were driving to the store, not to his surprise birthday party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to joke
to make jokes
an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fool
Steve Bender, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Most people would kill for a Susie in their lives, and Margo is a fool to take her for granted.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Her family had extensive dealings with DCF and reportedly fooled caseworkers by having someone else pretend to be Mimi during a video call to check on her welfare.
—Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fool
Noun
Types of Dogwood Trees Dogwood is hardy from the Upper Midwest down to the Gulf Coast, but don't let the wide range fool you.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Most people would kill for a Susie in their lives, and Margo is a fool to take her for granted.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
However, don’t be fooled by the budget price.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Her family had extensive dealings with DCF and reportedly fooled caseworkers by having someone else pretend to be Mimi during a video call to check on her welfare.
—Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool
Noun
-
To get a sentence like that in a communist, radically left-wing city of liberal lunatics is truly amazing.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Friends with a sudden devotion to nature begin making plans to convene in parks; TurboTax becomes your closest email companion; your risk of injury at the hands of a lunatic on a City Bike, haunted by the memory of a New Year’s resolution to exercise, may increase.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There’s some Streisand, too, and a big dose of Andrea Martin, specifically Martin’s signature SCTV character Edith Prickley, that bawdy, gawdy ham with all the bravado of a Catskills clown.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Once completed, the $5 million acquisition will ensure the theater has a permanent home, a place where skateboarding clowns and leek-haired onions can continue to frolic and dance for decades to come.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Keep in mind that trumpet vines can become invasive by self-seeding and sending up suckers, so allocate ample space.—
Sheryl Geerts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Snip upright suckers and water sprouts that zap the tree’s energy.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
If Florida is worried about China’s rise, dismantling educational and cultural exchanges is a foolish response.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But the Stars should be trying to goad the Wild into foolish penalties.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The lawsuit alleged that Capital One deceived customers about interest rates related to some of its savings account options, according to court filings on the settlement website.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
-
Her The Wife nods and supports, all knowingly without deceiving the emotional truths of the narrative.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
As an elder, Mellencamp often jokes about how many tours he was fired from in his salad days, usually because the headlining acts (KISS, REO Speedwagon, British hard rock act Rainbow) and their audiences didn’t take to his kiss-off attitude and misfit energy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Jonas, who made his Broadway debut at age nine, isn’t joking about all the time she’s spent in the spotlight.—
Jackie Fields,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For brassicas, watch for cabbage worms, flea beetles, and harlequin bugs.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Man Ray painted a harlequin with a candlelit lantern for a head in 1939, taking direct inspiration from Schiaparelli’s Harlequin coat from her Modern Comedy collection, launched in October 1938.—
Eliza Goodpasture,
ARTnews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Made in response to a difficult breakup, the work alludes to two lovers parting ways, but also to Pau’s memories of isolation as a severely asthmatic child in a notoriously polluted city, lying in bed staring at the wall and inventing stories to distract herself from the difficulty of breathing.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
People who collect rare books are book lovers, first and foremost.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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