foolish
Americanadjective
-
resulting from or showing a lack of sense; ill-considered: unwise.
a foolish action;
a foolish speech.
- Synonyms:
- thoughtless , imprudent , preposterous , nonsensical , absurd , ridiculous , unintelligent , senseless , brainless , witless , stupid
-
lacking forethought or caution.
- Synonyms:
- thoughtless , imprudent , incautious , heedless , half-baked , foolhardy , reckless , rash , impetuous
-
trifling, insignificant, or paltry.
adjective
-
unwise; silly
-
resulting from folly or stupidity
-
ridiculous or absurd; not worthy of consideration
-
weak-minded; simple
-
an archaic word for insignificant
Usage
What are other ways to say foolish? A foolish action is one that shows a lack of sense or is ill-considered. How is foolish different from fatuous, silly, inane, stupid, and asinine? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- foolishly adverb
- foolishness noun
- overfoolish adjective
- overfoolishly adverb
- quasi-foolish adjective
- quasi-foolishly adverb
- unfoolish adjective
- unfoolishly adverb
Etymology
Origin of foolish
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Middle English folish, foolish; fool 1, -ish 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion — which only puts our warriors in danger," he wrote, singling out Kelly as the only one of the six who is still subject to the UCMJ.
From BBC
“Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion—which only puts our warriors in danger.”
Washington would be foolish to mess with it.
As Almond explained, when a person is “so depleted,” it becomes more likely they will do something “foolish.”
From Salon
Ms Rope said she thought it would be "a foolish move" and one that would not go down well.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
