folie à deux

[ fo-lee uh -doo; French faw-lee a -dœ ]

/ fɒˈli ə ˈdu; French fɔ li a ˈdœ /

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noun, plural fo·lies à deux

[fo-leez uh -doo; French faw-lee za -dœ]. /fɒˈliz ə ˈdu; French fɔ li za ˈdœ/. Psychiatry.

the sharing of delusional ideas by two people who are closely associated.

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Origin of folie à deux

Borrowed into English from French around 1890–95

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use folie à deux in a sentence

ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
By the time it concluded with a sing-a-long of “XO,” Beyoncé had done the rare thing.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In another year, stories about the strange new face of an A-list actress might draw chortles and cackles.
Renée Zellweger Got a New Face—and Everyone Had An Opinion About It|Kevin O’Keeffe|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Because Duck Dynasty receives monster TV ratings and Robertson paid by a company (A&E) while making these public statements.
Butts, Brawls, and Bill Cosby: The Biggest Celebrity Scandals of 2014 |Kevin Fallon|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now-a-days it is the bankrupt who flouts, and his too confiding creditors who are jeered and laughed at.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
He felt himself the meanest, vilest thing a-crawl upon this sinful earth, and she—dear God!
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
All that scientific bric-a-brac in the cupboard had far better be thrown away.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Ils me donnerent parolle d'ainsy faire le tout; ce neantmoins, le languissant ne nous fut apport que deux jours aprs.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Urinary sediments may be studied under three heads: A. Unorganized sediments.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for folie à deux

folie à deux

/ (ˈfɒlɪ æ ˈdɜː) /

noun

psychiatry mental illness occurring simultaneously in two intimately related persons who share some of the elements of the illness, such as delusions

Word Origin for folie à deux

French: madness involving two (people)

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

Medical definitions for folie à deux

folie á deux

[ fô-lē′ ä dœ′, fŏl′ē ]

A condition in which symptoms of a mental disorder occur simultaneously in two individuals who share a close relationship or association.