1
as in insanity
lack of good sense or judgment
the foolishness of going off to search for the fountain of youth
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
couldn't listen to another second of their foolishness, so I told them to be quiet
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3
as in stupidness
the quality or state of lacking intelligence or quickness of mind
you didn't fail the test because of any innate foolishness but because of a lack of preparation
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of foolishness
Five glorious days for Chiles, who already had been made to endure the rollercoaster of gymnastics rule foolishness.
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Dana O'Neil, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024
The leaders of the current protests understand, too, that there is no overestimating the foolishness of many of today’s lemming students who will follow any radical opposition to establishment values.
—Alan M. Dershowitz, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2024
And now Duke expects its customers to pay of its foolishness?
—Ticked Off, Orlando Sentinel, 12 Nov. 2024
Then after Tyla won Best International Artist, Henson ran through the calendar to recap a year in foolishness.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for foolishness 
Dana O'Neil, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024
The leaders of the current protests understand, too, that there is no overestimating the foolishness of many of today’s lemming students who will follow any radical opposition to establishment values.
—Alan M. Dershowitz, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2024
And now Duke expects its customers to pay of its foolishness?
—Ticked Off, Orlando Sentinel, 12 Nov. 2024
Then after Tyla won Best International Artist, Henson ran through the calendar to recap a year in foolishness.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for foolishness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foolishness
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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By contrast, this rising international elite is creating something very different: a society in which superstition defeats reason and logic, transparency vanishes, and the nefarious actions of political leaders are obscured behind a cloud of nonsense and distraction.Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025
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That ain't the show, the show is the nonsense that's happening in between John Wick.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Watch stupidity and laziness (my much better working title for The End of Work was The End of Laziness) rapidly disappear as technological advance erases so much of what people used to do for a living in favor of living for work.John Tamny, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
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Their books’ fantasies of martyrdom and religious metaphysics are a feint so as not to recognize the need for socialism at home and abroad, and to obscure American stupidity.Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
Noun
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One of the most striking findings was a widespread reduction in gray matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness across most areas of the cerebral cortex.William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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Our favorite mats come in a wide array of materials, thicknesses, and sizes, all for your choosing pleasure.Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 5 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Secondly, the industry has perpetuated a culture that values simplicity and tradition over modernization.Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
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Minimalist cocktails will remain popular, focusing on simplicity while delivering complex flavors.Amber Love Bond, Forbes, 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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The property also grows its own herbs, greens, nuts, berries, and edible flowers.Bianca Salonga, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
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Focus on whole foods like fruits, leafy green vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds.Lindsay Curtis, Health, 5 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Foolishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foolishness. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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