tomfoolery
Americannoun
-
foolish or silly behavior; tomfoolishness.
- Synonyms:
- monkeyshine, horseplay, silliness, foolishness
-
a silly act, matter, or thing.
noun
-
foolish behaviour
-
utter nonsense; rubbish
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tomfoolery
Explanation
Tomfoolery is foolishness. Starting a food fight in a cafeteria is an example of tomfoolery. Tomfoolery is a silly-looking word, and it means a silly thing: foolish or ridiculous behavior. Tomfoolery is senseless behavior, like pulling pranks or being obnoxious. If a bunch of students in class keep talking and laughing, the teacher might yell "Stop your tomfoolery!" Tomfoolery can be annoying to others, but it's usually not serious. Committing a crime is a lot worse than tomfoolery. Tomfoolery is more like goofing around or being a clown.
Vocabulary lists containing tomfoolery
Pygmalion
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Fast Pitch
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Slay
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Lacking immediate options, Bea succumbs to Christy’s latest tomfoolery.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026
Cue a medley of exquisite tomfoolery, featuring bawdy badinage, dubious love-poems, mistaken identity, visual gags, a chaotic play-within-a-play and lots of linguistic whimsy.
From New York Times • May 2, 2024
He chalked up the incident as “a case where the skylarking and tomfoolery in an employment context has gone awry.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2023
He told the court this was a case of "skylarking and tomfoolery" that had "gone awry".
From BBC • Nov. 9, 2023
Seemed like a bunch of tomfoolery to me.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
