foolishness
Americannoun
-
lack of wisdom or good judgment; foolish quality.
Oh, the foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness!
-
foolish talk, ideas, or behavior.
How could someone with such a clever mind as yourself talk such foolishness?
-
a foolish act, error, habit, etc..
Shakespeare, who looks at all men as if from Mount Olympus, notes their foibles and foolishnesses, and yet smiles on them all.
Other Word Forms
- overfoolishness noun
- unfoolishness noun
Etymology
Origin of foolishness
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.
It’s difficult not to dwell on just how clownish our current reality has become while witnessing the absolute foolishness of this spectacle.
From Salon • Sep. 28, 2025
Part of it is working through lifelong, longstanding feelings of “I’m a fool and my foolishness is going to make people incredibly angry with me.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2025
Motherhood has made Slate gentler on herself, sloughing off feelings of foolishness, self-criticism and self-doubt.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2024
It's that time of the year again - the annual act of foolishness in which I try to predict the outcome of the 2024-25 season for all 20 Premier League clubs.
From BBC • Aug. 14, 2024
She expected to endure a few minutes of foolishness with the Fox girls and be in bed before nine.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
