FOLLY DEFINITIONS - 13 definitions found
folly n 1: the trait of acting stupidly or rashly [syn: folly, foolishness, unwiseness] [ant: wisdom, wiseness] 2: a stupid mistake [syn: stupidity, betise, folly, foolishness, imbecility] 3: the quality of being rash and foolish; "trying to drive through a blizzard is the height of folly"; "adjusting to an insane society is total foolishness" [syn: folly, foolishness, craziness, madness] 4: foolish or senseless behavior [syn: folly, foolery, tomfoolery, craziness, lunacy, indulgence] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) folly noun (plural follies) Etymology: Middle English folie, from Anglo-French, from fol fool Date: 13th century 1. lack of good sense or normal prudence and foresight 2. a. criminally or tragically foolish actions or conduct b. obsolete evil, wickedness; especially lewd behavior 3. a foolish act or idea 4. an excessively costly or unprofitable undertaking 5. an often extravagant picturesque building erected to suit a fanciful taste Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary folly (follies) 1. If you say that a particular action or way of behaving is folly or a folly, you mean that it is foolish. It's sheer folly to build nuclear power stations in a country that has dozens of earthquakes every year. N-VAR: oft N of n/-ing, it v-link N to-inf 2. A folly is a small tower or other unusual building that is built as a decoration in a large garden or park, especially in Britain in former times. N-COUNT English Explanatory Dictionary folly ˈfɔlɪ n. (pl. -ies) 1 foolishness; lack of good sense. 2 a foolish act, behaviour, idea, etc. 3 an ornamental building, usu. a tower or mock Gothic ruin. 4 (in pl.) Theatr. a a revue with glamorous female performers, esp. scantily-clad. b the performers. [ME f. OF folie f. fol mad, FOOL(1)] English-Old English dictionary folly Handy Dictionary of Poetical Quotations Folly Fools, to talking ever prone, Are sure to make their follies known. GAY: Fables, Pt. i., Fable 44. Whether the charmer sinner it, or saint it, If folly grow romantic, I must paint it. POPE: Moral Essays, Epis. ii., Line 15. Where lives the man that has not tried How mirth can into folly glide, And folly into sin! SCOTT: Bridal of Triermain, Canto i., St. 21. When lovely woman stoops to folly, And finds too late that men betray, What charm can soothe her melancholy? What art can wash her guilt away? GOLDSMITH: The Hermit, Ch. xxiv. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Folly \Fol"ly\, n.; pl. Follies. [OE. folie, foli, F. folie, fr. fol, fou, foolish, mad. See Fool.] 1. The state of being foolish; want of good sense; levity, weakness, or derangement of mind. 2. A foolish act; an inconsiderate or thoughtless procedure; weak or light-minded conduct; foolery. What folly 'tis to hazard life for ill. --Shak. 3. Scandalous crime; sin; specifically, as applied to a woman, wantonness. [Achan] wrought folly in Israel. --Josh. vii. 15. When lovely woman stoops to folly. --Goldsmith. 4. The result of a foolish action or enterprise. It is called this man's or that man's ``folly,'' and name of the foolish builder is thus kept alive for long after years. --Trench. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia FOLLY fol'-i. See FOOL. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms folly n. 1. Foolishness, imbecility, fatuity, stupidity, shallowness, dulness, doltishness. 2. Absurdity, foolishness, extravagance, unwisdom, imprudence, nonsense, fatuity, indiscretion. 3. Act of folly, foolish act, indiscretion, blunder, faux pas. 4. Decline from chastity, slip, lapse, false step, misstep, faux pas, indiscretion. English Explanatory Dictionary (Synonyms) folly ˈfɔlɪ n. 1 foolishness, nonsense, absurdity, daftness, silliness, preposterousness, absurdness, senselessness, fatuousness, fatuity, rashness, stupidity, asininity, inanity, nonsensicalness, idiocy, imbecility, irrationality, lunacy, insanity, madness, craziness, eccentricity, weak-mindedness, feeble-mindedness, simple-mindedness, muddle-headedness, thickheadedness, stolidity, stolidness, obtuseness, brainlessness, Colloq dumbness, dopiness, nuttiness, US and Canadian kookiness: They saw the folly of fighting against such enormous odds. It would be folly to leave in this storm. 2 absurdity, mistake, blunder, error, faux pas, gaffe, Colloq goof, fluff: What follies have been committed in the name of honour! Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 73 Moby Thesaurus words for "folly": absurdity, absurdness, act of folly, asininity, battiness, blunder, brainlessness, buffoonery, clownishness, crackpottedness, crankiness, craziness, daffiness, daftness, desipience, dottiness, dumb trick, dumbness, eccentricity, error, fatuity, fatuousness, faux pas, fluff, foolery, foolheadedness, foolishness, frivolity, frivolousness, gaffe, giddiness, goof, goofiness, idiocy, imbecility, imprudence, inanity, indiscretion, ineptitude, insanity, irrationality, kookiness, lunacy, madness, mindlessness, mistake, niaiserie, nonsense, nugacity, nuttiness, obtuseness, preposterousness, queerness, rashness, sappiness, screwiness, senselessness, silliness, sottise, stolidity, stolidness, stupid thing, stupidity, thoughtlessness, triflingness, triviality, unwise step, wackiness, weak-mindedness, weirdness, witlessness, zaniness, zanyism |
|
