foolish

[foo-lish] / ˈfu lɪʃ /

ADJECTIVE

nonsensical, idiotic

Synonyms

STRONGEST

absurd crazy fantastic ill-advised insane irrational ludicrous preposterous ridiculous silly stupid unreasonable unwise

WEAK

asinine brainless cockamamy daffy daft dippy doltish dotty fatuous feebleminded half-baked half-witted harebrained ill-considered imbecilic imprudent incautious indiscreet injudicious jerky kooky loony lunatic mad moronic nutty senseless short-sighted simple unintelligent wacky weak witless zany

Antonyms

STRONGEST

balanced logical plain practical rational realistic reasonable responsible sane sensible serious smart sound wise

WEAK

careful cautious circumspect prudent thoughtful unfoolish

Usage

What are other ways to say foolish? The adjective foolish implies a lack of common sense or good judgment or, sometimes, a weakness of mind: a foolish decision; The child seems foolish. Fatuous implies being not only foolish, dull, and vacant in mind, but complacent and highly self-satisfied as well: fatuous and self-important; fatuous answers. Silly denotes extreme and conspicuous foolishness; it may also refer to pointlessness of jokes, remarks, etc.: silly and senseless behavior; a perfectly silly statement. Inane applies to silliness that is notably lacking in content, sense, or point: inane questions that leave one with no reply. Stupid implies natural slowness or dullness of intellect, or, sometimes, a benumbed or dazed state of mind; it is also used to mean foolish or silly: He was rendered stupid by a blow; It is stupid to do such a thing. Asinine originally meant like an ass; it applies to witlessly stupid conversations or conduct and suggests a lack of social grace or perception: He failed to notice the reaction to his asinine remarks.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

foolish

“Ian knows and he thinks I’m foolish to feel this way,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

“I am the responsible officer of the government,” he said, while privately asking how he could have been so foolish as to take the CIA’s claims at face value.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

Am I being foolish to want to pay off a 2.75% mortgage?

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

But Ohtani also struck out three times Thursday — made to look foolish in a much-too-familiar way.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Perhaps it was because Lady Constance’s Fulcrum of Fortune had taken a nosedive, or perhaps it was the foolish pirate outfit—for whatever reason, and despite the desirability of the ticket, Lady Constance found no takers.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

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Negative Words to Describe People

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ish

"The Open Window" and "One in a Million"

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foolish

Usage

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Vocabulary lists containing foolish

Negative Words to Describe People

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ish

"The Open Window" and "One in a Million"

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