foolish

[ foo-lish ]
See synonyms for foolish on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. resulting from or showing a lack of sense; ill-considered: unwise: a foolish action;a foolish speech.

  2. lacking forethought or caution.

  1. trifling, insignificant, or paltry.

Origin of foolish

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Middle English folish, foolish; see fool1, -ish1

Other words for foolish

Other words from foolish

  • fool·ish·ly, adverb
  • fool·ish·ness, noun
  • o·ver·fool·ish, adjective
  • o·ver·fool·ish·ly, adverb
  • qua·si-fool·ish, adjective
  • qua·si-fool·ish·ly, adverb
  • un·fool·ish, adjective
  • un·fool·ish·ly, adverb

Words Nearby foolish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use foolish in a sentence

  • It's an idle question, I know; wise men and musty philosophers say that regrets are foolish.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • For others life is but a foolish leisure with mock activities and mimic avocations to mask its uselessness.

  • More foolish, more culpable weakness was never shown than in thus yielding to these schemes.

    Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
  • They that sit on mount Seir, and the Philistines, and the foolish people that dwell in Sichem.

  • Feeling sixteen and very foolish, she sank to the edge of a chair and muttered something about the charm of the room.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for foolish

foolish

/ (ˈfuːlɪʃ) /


adjective
  1. unwise; silly

  2. resulting from folly or stupidity

  1. ridiculous or absurd; not worthy of consideration

  2. weak-minded; simple

  3. an archaic word for insignificant

Derived forms of foolish

  • foolishly, adverb
  • foolishness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with foolish

foolish

see penny wise and pound foolish.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.