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Synonyms

foolery

American  
[foo-luh-ree] / ˈfu lə ri /

noun

  • fooleries
    plural
  1. foolish action or conduct.

  2. a foolish action, performance, or thing.


foolery British  
/ ˈfuːlərɪ /

noun

  1. foolish behaviour

  2. an instance of this, esp a prank or trick

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of foolery

First recorded in 1545–55; fool 1 + -ery


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.

See Examples For:

“Eventually after much tom foolery, the critter was captured and removed from the freeway,” the state police wrote on the agency’s Twitter page.

From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023

It takes no less than 10 seconds for the foolery to start.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2022

The whole of humanity doesn’t fit tidily into three acts, even assuming as much frame-breaking foolery as Wilder allows.

From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2022

“O, what a scene of foolery have I seen, Of sighs, of groans, of sorrow and of teen!”

From Washington Post ● Apr. 22, 2021

It was a simple piece of foolery but it had bothered Doc ever since.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

He complained about rampant "fooleries" like playing dice and cards and wearing masks.

From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2020

Jerry, who does the nightclub bit these days, may be recalling that atrocious bomb of 1963 when ABC invested many millions on a 40-part series of his fooleries, then canceled out after only 13.

From Time Magazine Archive

A substitute for distractions, when we go on enjoying all the old fooleries to the very last?

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

It was Miss Arnold's allotted province to watch the effect of these fooleries upon Maitland; but I could not refrain from sharing her task, by stealing at times a glance towards him.

From Discipline by Mary Brunton

In other respects, too, her present life was altogether to her mind: she had her separate chamber; was constantly beside the countess, entertaining her with fooleries, and daily received some present for her pains.

From Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. I (of 2) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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