folly

"Prolonging this parasitic relationship by trying to squeeze the last few drops of expensive oil out of the North Sea is sheer folly," Hopkinson said.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

When the entire forest appeared to be storming his stronghold, Macbeth realized his folly too late.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Market corrections, recessions, depressions, pandemics and human folly, along with investing in individual stocks despite the standard advice to diversify your holdings, can all take a toll on retirement savings.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Gold is the color of false idolatry, the material of gratuitous wealth, a hallmark of authoritarian style, and a metaphor for the folly of prioritizing personal enrichment and glory over everything else.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

It was for all of this that she was paying now, and it was this pride, hatred, bitterness, lust—this folly, this corruption—of which her son was heir.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

If it’s too easy to say that “Jaws” and “Star Wars” pushed the movie industry in a more commercial, risk-averse direction—the money pit of “Apocalypse Now” and other ambitious directorial follies helped—it’s also true.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 6, 2026

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

"It was the largest city in western Europe, with a population of over half a million, and it had an ebullient print media that was constantly commentating on the fashions and follies of the age."

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2025

"At his age, I committed a few follies of my own."

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin