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foolishness

American  
[foo-lish-nis] / ˈfu lɪʃ nɪs /

noun

  1. lack of wisdom or good judgment; foolish quality.

    Oh, the foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness!

  2. foolish talk, ideas, or behavior.

    How could someone with such a clever mind as yourself talk such foolishness?

  3. a foolish act, error, habit, etc..

    Shakespeare, who looks at all men as if from Mount Olympus, notes their foibles and foolishnesses, and yet smiles on them all.

Other Word Forms

  • overfoolishness noun
  • unfoolishness noun

Etymology

Origin of foolishness

foolish + -ness

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.