bêtise

noun

bā-ˈtēz How to pronounce bêtise (audio)
Definition of bêtisenext
as in blunder
a foolish act or idea writing a sequel to a Jane Austen novel must be regarded as a literary bêtise of the highest order

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bêtise
  1. blunder
  2. insanity
  3. absurdity
  4. folly
  5. stupidity
Noun
  • As Claude leaves a weirdly nonspecific voicemail for Valentina in the next room (another classic blunder), Roselyn scoops some cyanide-containing silver polish out of its container on his desk and stirs it briskly into his tea.
    Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Juan Soto made a key fielding blunder in the bottom of the fifth that turned a Kiké Hernández double into a three-bagger, and Aaron Judge’s bat continues to be a non-factor in this postseason.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2024
Definition of blunder
Noun
  • This is reminiscent of the famous remark that this is a fine line between genius and insanity.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
  • Then again, believing that to be true might just be what insanity looks like from the inside.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Oct. 2024
Definition of insanity
Noun
  • An absurdity, really—his third time trying to cross the border and his third time nearly dying to achieve it.
    Kayla Aletha Welch, Longreads, 19 Nov. 2024
  • As the comedian discussed the loopholes Trump’s administration could take to bypass the Senate confirmation and install his cabinet, Stewart pointed out the absurdity of his selections, predicting Hulk Hogan could be next.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 Nov. 2024
Definition of absurdity
Noun
  • Instead, Russia has paid a staggering price for Putin’s imperial folly, with hundreds of thousands of Russian casualties since February 2022 and more than $200 billion squandered.
    Lloyd J. Austin III, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024
  • This is exactly why Democrats on Sept. 30 filed a lawsuit to block this potential folly.
    Philip Elliott, TIME, 9 Oct. 2024
Definition of folly
Noun
  • That may not be a huge sum of money in a county with an annual operating budget of nearly $5 billion, but it’s got to rank high in sheer stupidity or at least neglect.
    Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 13 Nov. 2024
  • But in Judge’s intentionally crass lament (which somehow becomes more prescient and troublesome by the day), our rampant national boorishness and stupidity was sort of the point.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2024
Definition of stupidity
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near bêtise

betimes

bêtise

bêtises

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Bêtise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAtise. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...