1
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
foolish people who thought that the world would end in the year 2000 a foolish scheme that was supposed to make us all rich
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in absurd
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
foolish attempts to construct a perpetual motion machine
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3
as in small
lacking importance
the current regulations are cluttered with foolish details that are unnecessarily burdensome
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foolish
In a year, the petition and social media slams will look foolish.
—
Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
The smart investments in the travel process make foolish new fees on foreign visitors and reductions to Brand USA, America’s promotion arm, that much harder to swallow.
—Josh Rivera, USA Today, 17 July 2025
Controllable pitching is hard to come by in the big leagues, and the Pirates would be foolish to trade him away after signing him to a big contract.
—Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
Any in-depth evaluation would be foolish until Monday, when players don pads and the pass rush speeds McCarthy up even further.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for foolish
Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
The smart investments in the travel process make foolish new fees on foreign visitors and reductions to Brand USA, America’s promotion arm, that much harder to swallow.
—Josh Rivera, USA Today, 17 July 2025
Controllable pitching is hard to come by in the big leagues, and the Pirates would be foolish to trade him away after signing him to a big contract.
—Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
Any in-depth evaluation would be foolish until Monday, when players don pads and the pass rush speeds McCarthy up even further.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for foolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolish
Adjective
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No Broward program can possibly be as wasteful and downright stupid as the Office of Election Crimes and Security (OECS).—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Aug. 2025
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This sounds very stupid, but there’s an idea in my mind.—
David Mack,
Vulture,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Interestingly, the Vance memes were far more surreal and absurd than South Park’s caricature, which retained the simple, bloated design of the first few images.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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These movies are brilliantly written, but above all will do anything to get a laugh, no matter how silly, how absurd, how ridiculous — how stupid.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Going directly from cooking inside the house and only trying my own food to trying small restaurants and traveling within a week’s span was a blessing.—
Kenneth J. Williams Jr,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
-
On a sunny morning in late June, his exercise regimen began with small steps: His right foot keeping pace with the treadmill, his left foot stationary, off to the side.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Similar to the first film, families will enjoy silly slapstick mixed with great chemistry between Lohan and Curtis, who are just as good together.—
Katie Grant,
Parents,
7 Aug. 2025
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Here’s a look at the four silliest awards of the night.—
Vivian Kwarm,
New York Daily News,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
After a couple of insulting caricatures, increasingly bizarre depictions of the Vice President started to spread through the internet, the trend becoming a competition to see who could create the most hideous, weird or original Vance.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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These clever yet bizarre gadgets are both fun and oddly useful.—
Nora Colomer
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While two people are said to have been seriously injured, the others are being treated for minor injuries, according to Xinhua.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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In April, the government quietly revoked the visas of thousands of students who had allegedly committed minor legal infractions before abruptly reversing the policy.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Though it's deemed an accident in the play by Queen Gertrude, Ophelia was considered mad and the possibility of suicide was not ruled out.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Instead, this is an ice hockey-style slide-and-bump affair; hitting an opponent from the side simply gives an annoying temporary jolt (which also disrupts their shooting motion) while hitting an opponent head-on forces a loose ball turnover and a mad scramble for the ball.—
Kyle Orland,
ArsTechnica,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolish. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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