foolishness
Americannoun
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lack of wisdom or good judgment; foolish quality.
Oh, the foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness!
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foolish talk, ideas, or behavior.
How could someone with such a clever mind as yourself talk such foolishness?
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a foolish act, error, habit, etc..
Shakespeare, who looks at all men as if from Mount Olympus, notes their foibles and foolishnesses, and yet smiles on them all.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of foolishness
Explanation
Foolishness is nonsense or stupidity; it's acting in a way that is silly or irrational. Throwing a temper tantrum because the lunch line is moving slowly is pure foolishness — your outburst won't make the line move any faster. When your actions show a lack of good sense or solid judgement, you're betraying your foolishness. Impulsively jumping off the garage roof into a pile of leaves is evidence of your foolishness. We can trace this word's origin back to fool and the Old French fol, "idiot," and also "blacksmith's bellows," from a root meaning "blow or swell."
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.
They focused instead on human experience as it unfolds, moment by uncertain moment, capturing everyday foibles, errors and foolishness in the face of quotidian ruthlessness.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026
Mr. Clooney has never had a better role, and he burrows deeply into it with a self-interrogating combination of narcissism, foolishness, bravado and charisma.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
Diomande's act of foolishness just put the tin hat on it.
From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025
The Lakers were, again, the Lakers — the version from early this season that made optimism seem nothing like foolishness.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2024
Losing the horse and saddle was hard, but he could buy another in Abbot’s Ford and still have enough money to live comfortably until he finished this foolishness and met up with Skarpi in Treya.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
