1
as in insanity
a foolish act or idea
investing in that company now would be foolery
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in joking
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
let the kids have a little foolery once in a while
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Recent Examples of foolery
Eric Andre, Tyler the Creator and Machine Gun Kelly all drop by to participate in the Jack-foolery.
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David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2022
The whole of humanity doesn’t fit tidily into three acts, even assuming as much frame-breaking foolery as Wilder allows.
—New York Times, 25 Apr. 2022
Political pranking is traditionally thought of as benign foolery targeting the powerful.
—Stanislav Budnitsky, The Conversation, 19 Apr. 2022
Our magpie eyes will always be drawn to foolery and ephemera.
—Giles Hattersley, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2021
Once every ten years, the first of April assumes a far more significant importance than the annual sharing of April foolery.
—James Deutsch, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2020
All the organs of his body were working — bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming — all toiling away in solemn foolery.
—John Hirschauer, National Review, 17 Sep. 2019
In memory, during that long-ago evening on the edge of the woods, even my young children were drawn into its whirligig of shipwrecks, twins in disguise, misread letters, wise foolery and foolish wisdom.
—Edward Rothstein, WSJ, 11 July 2019
Elsewhere, the lack of physicality that muted the foolery also seemed a factor affecting many actors’ deliveries.
—Edward Rothstein, WSJ, 11 July 2019
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2022
The whole of humanity doesn’t fit tidily into three acts, even assuming as much frame-breaking foolery as Wilder allows.
—New York Times, 25 Apr. 2022
Political pranking is traditionally thought of as benign foolery targeting the powerful.
—Stanislav Budnitsky, The Conversation, 19 Apr. 2022
Our magpie eyes will always be drawn to foolery and ephemera.
—Giles Hattersley, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2021
Once every ten years, the first of April assumes a far more significant importance than the annual sharing of April foolery.
—James Deutsch, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2020
All the organs of his body were working — bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming — all toiling away in solemn foolery.
—John Hirschauer, National Review, 17 Sep. 2019
In memory, during that long-ago evening on the edge of the woods, even my young children were drawn into its whirligig of shipwrecks, twins in disguise, misread letters, wise foolery and foolish wisdom.
—Edward Rothstein, WSJ, 11 July 2019
Elsewhere, the lack of physicality that muted the foolery also seemed a factor affecting many actors’ deliveries.
—Edward Rothstein, WSJ, 11 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolery
Noun
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Weeks later, more insanity ensued, the 50th home run ball selling for $4.39 million at auction, the highest price ever paid for any ball in any sport.Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
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Germain, who teaches law at Syracuse University in New York, said that, given the weight of evidence, insanity is likely the only defense that will work.David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024
Noun
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If humans can use emotional tomfoolery to prevail over AI, there is a certain kind of endearing fulfillment in doing so.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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Aside from those two couple moments, Turner's post also included plenty of tomfoolery with friends and documented some of her travels — from skiing in January to an October trip to an ancient temple in Egypt.Julia Moore, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Corbet’s awkward forcing of his characters into his conceptual framework leads to absurdities and vulgarities—not least in the depiction of László’s first and only Black acquaintance, a laborer named Gordon (Isaach De Bankolé), as a heroin addict.Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
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Now Warning Issued To All iPhone Users The Game Awards 2024 Live Winners List, And Game Of The Year Such then is the delicate balance of accessibility and exclusivity, creativity and commerciality, genius and absurdity.Lilian Raji, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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What’s so special about Britain’s patron wanker of bighearted buffoonery?Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
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Fans are fixated on his greatness juxtaposed against the rest of the Bengals’ buffoonery.The Athletic NFL Staff, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Elsewhere, players might enjoy body-replicating madness, brutal climbing simulators, and freewheeling adventure through a magical realist take on the Deep South.Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
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He is asked by RAF Group Captain Lionel Mandrake — a voice of reason in the madness — to recall the B-52 bombers that will end civilization.Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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On my gondola, however, horseplay is not only encouraged, it is required.Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 24 Sep. 2024
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Prosecutors allege Alec Baldwin engaged in ‘horseplay’ and acted recklessly on ‘Rust’ set.Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
Noun
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Tirhakah Love is a senior writer at New York Magazine and the host of the new evening newsletter Dinner Party, a daily email that touches on all things entertainment — that means film, television, music, tech, and gaming — plus politics and corporate clownery.Vulture, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2022
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The Winx Club live action is a big clownery!Olivia Truffaut-Wong, refinery29.com, 25 Jan. 2021
Noun
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In each episode, Shaun tries to liven up mundane farm life with low-stakes schemes that eventually spiral into farcical, slapstick situations.Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
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Summer this year mixed slapstick ultra-violence with kid-friendly fare, with another massively successful July release in Despicable Me 4 also targeted to younger audiences.George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near foolery
Cite this Entry
“Foolery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolery. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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