foolhardy
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- foolhardily adverb
- foolhardiness noun
Etymology
Origin of foolhardy
1175–1225; Middle English folhardy < Old French fol hardi. See fool 1, hardy 1
Explanation
If you decide you are going to scale Mt. Everest next weekend without any training or experience, that would be a foolhardy decision. Use the adjective foolhardy to describe someone who rushes into action without considering the consequences. Foolhardy is a combination of the noun fool and the adjective hardy, meaning "brave" or "bold." Put them together and you’ve got “foolishly brave.” Someone who is foolhardy throws caution to the wind and takes reckless chances. A foolhardy mistake is typically the result of this kind of impulsive behavior. But foolhardy doesn’t always imply foolishness or stupidity; foolhardy can convey courage and romance, as in the case of a foolhardy passion or desire.
Vocabulary lists containing foolhardy
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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.
So they’ve been trying to talk their leaders out of this foolhardy mission.
From Salon • Mar. 13, 2026
Many have expressed concerns about Starmer visit to China, but the prime minister said it would be "foolhardy to sit with your head in your hands and refuse to engage" with the country.
From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026
The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits after Thanksgiving jumped to a three-month high, but it’s foolhardy to judge the overall health of the labor market on holiday seasons.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 15, 2025
At the Mill Basin Deli on the southeast edge of Brooklyn, it was taken for granted that giving any quarter to Mamdani would be foolhardy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025
Well-wishers crowded around Father and Mum Olga, but few were so foolhardy as Olive.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
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.
