folly

noun

fol·​ly ˈfä-lē How to pronounce folly (audio)
plural follies
1
: lack of good sense or normal prudence and foresight
his folly in thinking he could not be caught
2
a
: criminally or tragically foolish actions or conduct
b
obsolete : evil, wickedness
especially : lewd behavior
3
: a foolish act or idea
The prank was a youthful folly.
4
: an excessively costly or unprofitable undertaking
Paying so much for that land was folly, since it was all rocks and scrub trees.
5
: an often extravagant picturesque building erected to suit a fanciful taste

Examples of folly in a Sentence

the folly of driving fast on steep, winding roads his folly in thinking that he would not be noticed The folly of such an action should be apparent to everyone. the follies of the modern world the famous Ziegfeld Follies of the 1920s
Recent Examples on the Web This baby’s coming one way or another, and the folly of trying to squeeze in a sushi feast as the contractions accelerate makes for an unforgettably original and howlingly funny sequence. Peter Debruge, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 That should underscore the indescribable folly of the anti-vaccine campaigning by Trump and Kennedy. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Featuring great performances from the likes of James Franco and his brother, Dave, as well as Seth Rogen and Alison Brie, The Disaster Artist explores the fine line between genius and folly during one man’s relentless pursuit of a dream—no matter how outlandish that dream seems. Travis Bean, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 The court recognized the folly of New York’s claim and dismissed the case. Ed Hirs, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Either way, Zelenskyy’s insightful words about the short-sighted folly of Russia’s invasion and awed praise for Ukrainians’ strength of character, expressed in English that gets more fluent every month, will do no harm to his reputation. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024 Moore wasn’t the only one to recognize his agency’s folly. Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024 To a college student who felt the siren call of journalism at a time when Watergate’s wake had not yet receded, an early lesson on the folly of idol worship arrived my senior year when Mr. Thompson spoke at my school. Billy Witz Sinna Nasseri, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2024 The story does a good job providing both sides of the debate, but the folly of completely doing away with standardized testing (as many undergraduate colleges/universities have done) is abundantly clear to any reasonable reader. Letter Writers, Twin Cities, 14 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'folly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English folie, from Anglo-French, from fol fool

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of folly was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near folly

Cite this Entry

“Folly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folly. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

folly

noun
fol·​ly ˈfäl-ē How to pronounce folly (audio)
plural follies
1
: lack of good sense or judgment
2
: foolish behavior
3
: a foolish act or idea

More from Merriam-Webster on folly

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