noun
Meaning 1
The state of being foolish.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
foolishness
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
/ˈfuːlɪʃnəs/
-
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
CMU ARPABET: F UW1 L IH0 SH N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A thing or event that is foolish, or an absurdity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
a stupid mistake
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: stupidity, betise, folly, imbecility
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: mistake, error, fault
noun
Meaning 4
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: folly, unwiseness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: trait
Narrower terms: indiscretion, injudiciousness, absurdity, fatuity, fatuousness, silliness, asininity
noun
Meaning 5
the quality of being rash and foolish
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- trying to drive through a blizzard is the height of folly
- adjusting to an insane society is total foolishness
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: folly, craziness, madness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: stupidity
History
Etymology
From Middle English folishnesse, follissnesse, equivalent to foolish + -ness.
Across languages
Translations
96 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Armenian: հիմարություն (himarutʻyun) — state of being foolish
- Bulgarian: глупост (glupost) — state of being foolish
- Bulgarian: неразумност (nerazumnost) — state of being foolish
- Bulgarian: неблагоразу́мие (neblagorazúmie) — state of being foolish
- Chichewa: utsiru — state of being foolish
- Czech: pošetilost — state of being foolish
- Danish: tåbelighed — state of being foolish
- Esperanto: malsaĝeco — state of being foolish
- Finnish: typeryys — state of being foolish
- French: folie — state of being foolish
- French: sottise — state of being foolish
- French: déraison — state of being foolish
- Galician: tolemia — state of being foolish
- Galician: loucura — state of being foolish
- German: Torheit — state of being foolish
- German: Dummheit — state of being foolish
- German: Tölpelhaftigkeit — state of being foolish
- German: Narrheit — state of being foolish
- German: Narrentum — state of being foolish
- German: Unverstand — state of being foolish
- Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐍆𐍂𐍉𐌳𐌴𐌹 (unfrōdei) — state of being foolish
- Ancient Greek: ἀφροσύνη (aphrosúnē) — state of being foolish
- Ancient Greek: μωρία (mōría) — state of being foolish
- Irish: aineagna — state of being foolish
- Irish: amadántacht — state of being foolish
- Irish: amlógacht — state of being foolish
- Irish: baothántacht — state of being foolish
- Irish: leibideacht — state of being foolish
- Italian: malaccortezza — state of being foolish
- Italian: pazzia — state of being foolish
- Italian: sciocchezza — state of being foolish
- Italian: stupidità — state of being foolish
- Kabuverdianu: jatura — state of being foolish
- Khmer: ល្បែ (lbae) — state of being foolish
- Latin: fatuitās — state of being foolish
- Latin: stultitia — state of being foolish
- Latvian: muļķība — state of being foolish
- Latvian: neprātība — state of being foolish
- Latvian: dumjība — state of being foolish
- Macedonian: глу́пост (glúpost) — state of being foolish
- Macedonian: нера́зумност (nerázumnost) — state of being foolish
- Macedonian: будала́штина (budaláština) — state of being foolish
- Manx: meecheeall — state of being foolish
- Manx: anchreeaght — state of being foolish
- Middle English: unwisdom — state of being foolish
- Old English: unġesċēadwisnes — state of being foolish
- Old English: unwīsdōm — state of being foolish
- Polish: głupota — state of being foolish
- Portuguese: tolice — state of being foolish
- Russian: глу́пость (glúpostʹ) — state of being foolish
- Sardinian: macchìghine — state of being foolish
- Sardinian: macchìne — state of being foolish
- Sardinian: bambidudine — state of being foolish
- Sardinian: scimpròriu — state of being foolish
- Scottish Gaelic: amaideas — state of being foolish
- Spanish: nescedad (disused) — state of being foolish
- Spanish: necedad — state of being foolish
- Swahili: upumbavu — state of being foolish
- Ukrainian: безглуздість (bezhluzdistʹ) — state of being foolish
- Ukrainian: нерозсудливість (nerozsudlyvistʹ) — state of being foolish
- Unami: kpëcheokàn — state of being foolish
- Volapük: fop — state of being foolish
- Yiddish: נאַרישקייט (narishkeyt) — state of being foolish
- Arabic: حَمَاقَة (ḥamāqa) — thing or event that is foolish
- Armenian: հիմարություն (himarutʻyun) — thing or event that is foolish
- Bulgarian: глупост (glupost) — thing or event that is foolish
- Czech: pošetilost — thing or event that is foolish
- Danish: tåbelighed — thing or event that is foolish
- Finnish: typeryys — thing or event that is foolish
- French: folie — thing or event that is foolish
- French: sottise — thing or event that is foolish
- French: bêtise — thing or event that is foolish
- Galician: tolaxe — thing or event that is foolish
- Galician: tolería — thing or event that is foolish
- German: Dummheit — thing or event that is foolish
- Italian: sciocchezza — thing or event that is foolish
- Italian: stupidità — thing or event that is foolish
- Italian: scempiaggine — thing or event that is foolish
- Italian: idiozia — thing or event that is foolish
- Italian: scemenza — thing or event that is foolish
- Italian: stronzata — thing or event that is foolish
- Italian: corbelleria — thing or event that is foolish
- Kabuverdianu: jatura — thing or event that is foolish
- Latin: stultitia — thing or event that is foolish
- Latvian: muļķība — thing or event that is foolish
- Latvian: neprātība — thing or event that is foolish
- Latvian: dumjība — thing or event that is foolish
- Macedonian: глу́пост (glúpost) — thing or event that is foolish
- Polish: głupota — thing or event that is foolish
- Portuguese: tolice — thing or event that is foolish
- Russian: глу́пость (glúpostʹ) — thing or event that is foolish
- Scottish Gaelic: amaideas — thing or event that is foolish
- Spanish: sandez — thing or event that is foolish
- Spanish: tontería — thing or event that is foolish
- Spanish: nescedad (disused) — thing or event that is foolish
- Spanish: necedad — thing or event that is foolish
Real reading context