tomfoolery

[tom-foo-luh-ree]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tomfoolery ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural tom·fool·er·ies.

foolish or silly behavior; tomfoolishness.

a silly act, matter, or thing.

Nearby words

Origin of tomfoolery

First recorded in 1805–15; tomfool + -ery

SYNONYMS FOR tomfoolery

1. foolishness, silliness, horseplay, monkeyshines.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tomfoolery ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tomfoolery

"There shall be no tomfoolery of love-making," she had said.
The Duke's Children|Anthony Trollope
I want a wife, and I want a girl who hasn't been spoilt by the tomfoolery of the world.
The Beggar Man|Ruby Mildred Ayres
He thought there was a great deal of tomfoolery about them, and he viewed the gradual loss of faith in drugs with alarm.
The Breaking Point|Mary Roberts Rinehart
And for the other tomfoolery, pretending to search premises: Cope has a warrant?
Back o' the Moon|Oliver Onions

But when Barber saw the curtains, he called them "tomfoolery," and tore them down.
The Rich Little Poor Boy|Eleanor Gates

British Dictionary definitions for tomfoolery

tomfoolery

noun plural -eries

foolish behaviour

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