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tomfoolery

[tom-foo-luh-ree]
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noun, plural tom·fool·er·ies.
  1. foolish or silly behavior; tomfoolishness.
  2. a silly act, matter, or thing.

Origin of tomfoolery

First recorded in 1805–15; tomfool + -ery

Synonyms for tomfoolery

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1. foolishness, silliness, horseplay, monkeyshines.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for tomfoolery

absurdity, madness, craziness, horseplay, giddiness, bunk, folly, foolishness, insanity, shenanigans, fun, ridiculousness, lunacy, senselessness, silliness, irresponsibility, foolery, antics, joking

Examples from the Web for tomfoolery

Historical Examples of tomfoolery

  • When is the carnival, and when does this piece of tomfoolery come off?

    The First Violin

    Jessie Fothergill

  • He liked Laurent on account of his tomfoolery, which made him laugh.

    Therese Raquin

    Emile Zola

  • We don't want this tomfoolery, nor to be treated like children.

    Ireland as It Is

    Robert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)

  • A man must be a glutton for tomfoolery if he could not be satisfied with that.'

    Lord Kilgobbin

    Charles Lever

  • If you know anything, you can surely say it without all this tomfoolery.

British Dictionary definitions for tomfoolery

tomfoolery

noun plural -eries
  1. foolish behaviour
  2. utter nonsense; rubbish
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
Word Origin and History for tomfoolery
n.

1812, from tomfool + -ery.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper