foolish

[ foo-lish ]
/ ˈfu lɪʃ /

adjective

resulting from or showing a lack of sense; ill-considered; unwise: a foolish action, a foolish speech.
lacking forethought or caution.
trifling, insignificant, or paltry.

Origin of foolish

First recorded in 1250–1300, foolish is from the Middle English word folish, foolish. See fool1, -ish1

SYNONYMS FOR foolish

1, 2 senseless, vacant, vapid, simple, witless. Foolish, fatuous, silly, inane, stupid, asinine imply weakness of intellect and lack of judgment. Foolish implies lack of common sense or good judgment or, sometimes, 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 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: well-meaning but stupid; rendered stupid by a blow; It is stupid to do such a thing. Asinine originally meant like an ass; it applies to witlessly stupid conversation or conduct and suggests a lack of social grace or perception: He failed to notice the reaction to his asinine remarks.
1 imprudent, unreasonable, foolhardy, irrational; thoughtless, nonsensical, ridiculous, absurd, pointless, preposterous.

OTHER WORDS FROM foolish

Example sentences from the Web for foolish

British Dictionary definitions for foolish

foolish
/ (ˈfuːlɪʃ) /

adjective

unwise; silly
resulting from folly or stupidity
ridiculous or absurd; not worthy of consideration
weak-minded; simple
an archaic word for insignificant

Derived forms of foolish

foolishly, adverb foolishness, noun

Idioms and Phrases with foolish

foolish

see penny wise and pound foolish.