foolish
Americanadjective
-
resulting from or showing a lack of sense; ill-considered: unwise.
a foolish action;
a foolish speech.
- Synonyms:
- thoughtless, imprudent, preposterous, nonsensical, absurd, ridiculous, unintelligent, senseless, brainless, witless, stupid
-
lacking forethought or caution.
- Synonyms:
- thoughtless, imprudent, incautious, heedless, half-baked, foolhardy, reckless, rash, impetuous
-
trifling, insignificant, or paltry.
adjective
-
unwise; silly
-
resulting from folly or stupidity
-
ridiculous or absurd; not worthy of consideration
-
weak-minded; simple
-
an archaic word for insignificant
Usage
What are other ways to say foolish? A foolish action is one that shows a lack of sense or is ill-considered. How is foolish different from fatuous, silly, inane, stupid, and asinine? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- foolishly adverb
- foolishness noun
- overfoolish adjective
- overfoolishly adverb
- quasi-foolish adjective
- quasi-foolishly adverb
- unfoolish adjective
- unfoolishly adverb
Etymology
Origin of foolish
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Middle English folish, foolish; fool 1, -ish 1
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.
How wrong I was, and how happy I am to this day to have been so objectively foolish for my suspicions.
From Salon
It’s foolish not to conclude that the old rules, the old conventional wisdom about what voters will accept and what they will not, are out the window for good.
From Los Angeles Times
Of course, it would be foolish to make any final calls now.
From BBC
It is the narrator’s own psyche, her ambition to eclipse a ghost and her yearning to be “anything but the timid, foolish creature” she imagines herself to be.
Even though a particular sound will go through a period of seeming dated, it’s foolish to think that it will vanish forever.
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.
