1
as in insanity
lack of good sense or judgment
the foolishness of going off to search for the fountain of youth
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
couldn't listen to another second of their foolishness, so I told them to be quiet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stupidness
the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind
you didn't fail the test because of any innate foolishness but because of a lack of preparation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foolishness
In the world of Saturday Church, there’s no need to uphold binary foolishness.
—
Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2025
Yet for all of his stoned foolishness, Bob has clearly imparted a real distrust of authority to his kid.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
The foolishness of the governor’s gibe was underscored by the progressive, staunchly anti-Trump Democratic mayor of San Jose.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
None of that store-brand foolishness.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foolishness
Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2025
Yet for all of his stoned foolishness, Bob has clearly imparted a real distrust of authority to his kid.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
The foolishness of the governor’s gibe was underscored by the progressive, staunchly anti-Trump Democratic mayor of San Jose.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
None of that store-brand foolishness.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foolishness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolishness
Noun
-
Repeal this insanity and restore order to our streets!—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Defense attorneys hoped to convince the jury that Gacy was not guilty by reason of insanity.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Hillary Busis considers this celestial nonsense.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
-
And someone please tell the FBI and the DOJ to get to work on real crime, rather than the political nonsense.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Then, with many on the court at this point, Stewart came rushing off the Pistons’ bench to confront Bridges, throwing a punch as their altercation became the focal point of the madness on the hardwood.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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The darker strands of the young Tennyson’s existence—madness, spurned love, ruinous genes, insolvency—would become the themes of a later poem that Holmes regards as pivotal.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Huw just spazzes out most of the time, and Patrick is incredibly transparent and succeeds more because of luck and the stupidity of others rather than his own intellect.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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My love of the theater and my love of the people who dedicate their life to creativity and the kind of highs and lows of that life, and the silliness and stupidity of that life, and the moments of elegiac grace.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The material is the perfect thickness for either layering or wearing standalone.—
Jordyn Burrell,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
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The thickness of the ice is between 3/4 and 1½ inches.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But as a walk down Main Street will prove to you, its simplicity is exactly what makes the town special.—
Megan Margulies,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 2026
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By prioritizing safety, simplicity, and developer collaboration, Sprout represents a quieter but potentially more meaningful step forward in humanoid robotics.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There is plenty of silliness in this year’s commercials.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
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The silliness betrays the seriousness.—
J. Aaron Sanders,
STAT,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.—
Jonny Thomson,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Compare that to punk rock, which used dumbness as a tactic.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foolishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolishness. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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