folly

[fol-ee]

noun

plural

follies 

1. the state or quality of being foolish; lack of understanding or sense.

2. a foolish action, practice, idea, etc.; absurdity.

   the folly of performing without a rehearsal.

   Synonyms: lunacy, madness, injudiciousness, indiscretion, foolishness, mistake, rashness, imprudence

3. a costly and foolish undertaking; unwise investment or expenditure.

4. Architecture.,  a whimsical or extravagant structure built to serve as a conversation piece, lend interest to a view, commemorate a person or event, etc.: found especially in England in the 18th century.

5. follies, a theatrical revue.

6. Obsolete.,  wickedness; wantonness.

folly

/ ˈfɒlɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being foolish; stupidity; rashness

2. a foolish action, mistake, idea, etc

3. a building in the form of a castle, temple, etc, built to satisfy a fancy or conceit, often of an eccentric kind

4. (plural) theatre an elaborately costumed revue

5. archaic

   1. evil; wickedness

   2. lewdness; wantonness

Other Word Forms

• superfolly noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of folly¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English folie, from Old French, derivative of fol, fou “foolish, mad”; equivalent to fool ¹ + -y ³ ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of folly¹

C13: from Old French folie madness, from fou mad; see _fool ¹

Example Sentences

What keeps these Democrats from power are the antics of their national party: the Russia folly, the border folly, the trans folly, the Biden incapacity folly.

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Could there be a better example of Congressional dysfunction than that its first pressing business after the government reopens is . . . the return of the Jeffrey Epstein follies?

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They will finally see their folly and go home.

Read more on Literature

Here was a strange but true fact: The closer you were to the market, the harder it was to perceive its folly.

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Mr. Howard’s argument, which I find persuasive, is that Cowley’s stint as an ideologue was a short-term folly that does not fundamentally implicate his literary endeavors.

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Related Words

• absurdity 
• craziness 
• foolishness 
• idiocy 
• indiscretion 
• lunacy 
• madness 
• recklessness www.thesaurus.com
• silliness 
• stupidity 

When To Use

What does folly mean?

A folly is a foolish action. Follies can refer to various unwise practices, buildings with a purely ornamental purpose, or cabaret-style theatrical revues featuring lots of beautiful, dancing women.