folly

American  

[fol-ee] / ˈfɒl i /

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.

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folly British  

/ 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

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• superfolly noun

Etymology

Origin of folly

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

Example Sentences

People forget about past follies, either by choice and/or because they’re distracted by the next shiny thing.

From MarketWatch

Though his acidic sense of humour -- criticised as condescending by some -- is evident throughout, Parr's 180 photographs also amount to a portrait of human folly and environmental destruction.

From Barron's

Without these changes, Californians are probably headed for more fiscal follies in the years ahead.

From Los Angeles Times

Ms. Allen concedes their regionalism but argues that they were wiser for understanding that a “provincial backwater offers as full a panoply of human folly, nobility, tragedy, and absurdity as any great metropolis.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Not everyone hailed his “colossal tower”; for some critics it was an “odious column of bolted metal” and a “stupefying folly.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• absurdity
• craziness
• foolishness
• idiocy
• indiscretion
• lunacy
• madness
• recklessness
• silliness
• stupidity