follies

NOUN

nonsense, ridiculous idea

Synonyms

STRONGEST

absurdity craziness foolishness idiocy indiscretion lunacy madness recklessness silliness stupidity

STRONG

daftness fatuity imbecility impracticality imprudence inadvisability inanity irrationality obliquity rashness senselessness triviality unsoundness vice

WEAK

dottiness dumb thing to do dumb trick preposterousness witlessness

Antonyms

STRONGEST

care carefulness intelligence sense

WEAK

judgment knowledge seriousness understanding wisdom

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.

People forget about past follies, either by choice and/or because they’re distracted by the next shiny thing.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 6, 2026

To my eyes, however, the human follies she evokes are all too realistic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

More aggressive fine print restrains other follies like the bond portfolio mismatches that undid California-based Silicon Valley Bank two years ago, says Davide Oneglia, director of European and global macro at TS Lombard.

From Barron's • Oct. 25, 2025

The house is surrounded by 25 acres of grounds featuring cottages, a large greenhouse, walled garden, follies, a fountain and a croquet lawn.

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2023

In the meantime, his son let him commit his follies, let him strive, let him be humbled by his moods.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse