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.

---

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

---

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

A six-minute cameo at Turf Moor showed the folly of that decision.

From BBC

But in terms of narrative, at least, betting against AI hype in 2026 seems folly.

From Barron's

But in terms of narrative, at least, betting against AI hype in 2026 seems folly.

From Barron's

But in terms of narrative, at least, betting against AI hype in 2026 seems folly.

From Barron's

An era of folly began in the new century.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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