foolish

[ foo-lish ]

adjective

1. resulting from or showing a lack of sense; ill-considered: unwise:

   a foolish action;

   a foolish speech.

   Synonyms: thoughtless, imprudent, preposterous, nonsensical, absurd, ridiculous, unintelligent, senseless, brainless, witless, stupid

2. lacking forethought or caution.

   Synonyms: thoughtless, imprudent, incautious, heedless, half-baked, foolhardy, reckless, rash, impetuous

3. trifling, insignificant, or paltry.

   Synonyms: picayune, trivial

foolish

/ ˈfuːlɪʃ /

adjective

1. unwise; silly
2. resulting from folly or stupidity
3. ridiculous or absurd; not worthy of consideration
4. weak-minded; simple
5. an archaic word for insignificant

Derived Forms

• ˈfoolishly, adverb
• ˈfoolishness, noun

Other Words From

• fool·ish·ly adverb
• fool·ish·ness noun
• o·ver·fool·ish adjective
• o·ver·fool·ish·ly adverb
• qua·si-fool·ish adjective
• qua·si-fool·ish·ly adverb
• un·fool·ish adjective
• un·fool·ish·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of foolish¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Middle English folish, foolish; fool ¹, -ish ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see penny wise and pound foolish .

Example Sentences

Besides, assuming that Latinos would break the time-honored immigrant tradition of spitting on more recent arrivals was as foolish as thinking that Liz Cheney campaigning alongside Harris would do any good.

From Los Angeles Times

The judge rejected a claim Kucharski had acted out of "foolish bravado" to provoke a reaction.

From BBC

The worst part is that Trump, in all his deranged misery, is still better off than the foolish fans who use him as a role model.

From Salon

In what many mainstream political observers and professional centrists have described as foolish given the importance of the battleground states, Trump is also planning rallies and other events in blue states.

From Salon

“He was actually a really good, I don’t want to say friend - I don’t want to act foolish, ‘he was my friend’ - but I got along with him great.”

From BBC

Related Words

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

When To Use

What are other ways to say foolish?

A foolish action is one that shows a lack of sense or is ill-considered. How is foolish different from fatuous, silly, inane, stupid, and asinine? Find out on Thesaurus.com.