foolish - Definitions from Dictionary.com

6 results for: foolish

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

fool·ish

Audio Help [foo-lish] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	resulting from or showing a lack of sense; ill-considered; unwise: a foolish action, a foolish speech.

2.	lacking forethought or caution.

3.	trifling, insignificant, or paltry.

[Origin: 1250–1300; ME folish, foolish. See fool¹, -ish¹

]

—Related forms

fool·ish·ly, adverb

fool·ish·ness, noun

—Synonyms 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
foolish

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

fool·ish Audio Help (fōō'lĭsh) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Lacking or exhibiting a lack of good sense or judgment; silly: foolish remarks.
Resulting from stupidity or misinformation; unwise: a foolish decision.
Arousing laughter; absurd or ridiculous: a foolish grin.
Immoderate or stubborn; unreasonable: foolish pride; foolish love.
Embarrassed; abashed: I feel foolish telling you this.
Insignificant; trivial: spent all their money on foolish little knickknacks.

fool'ish·ly adv., fool'ish·ness n.

Synonyms: These adjectives are applied to what is so devoid of wisdom or good sense as to be laughable: a foolish expenditure of energy; a silly argument; made fatuous remarks; an absurd idea that is bound to fail; a preposterous excuse that no one believed; offered a ridiculous explanation for his tardiness; a ludicrous criticism that was immediately dismissed.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

foolish
adjective
1.	devoid of good sense or judgment; "foolish remarks"; "a foolish decision" [ant: wise]
2.	having or revealing stupidity; "ridiculous anserine behavior"; "a dopey answer"; "a dopey kid"; "some fool idea about rewriting authors' books" [syn: anserine]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ˈfoolish1 adjective

having no sense
Example: He is a foolish young man.

Arabic:	غَبي
Chinese (Simplified):	愚蠢的
Chinese (Traditional):	愚蠢的
Czech:	nerozumný
Danish:	tåbelig
Dutch:	dwaas
Estonian:	rumal
Finnish:	typerä
French:	étourdi, stupide
German:	dumm
Greek:	ανόητος
Hungarian:	bolond
Icelandic:	heimskulegur
Indonesian:	bodoh
Italian:	stupido

Japanese:	愚かな
Korean:	어리석은
Latvian:	muļķīgs
Lithuanian:	kvailas
Norwegian:	fjollet, tosket, skrullet, dum
Polish:	głupi, niemądry
Portuguese (Brazil):	idiota, tolo
Portuguese (Portugal):	parvo
Romanian:	fără minte; absurd
Russian:	глупый
Slovak:	nerozumný
Slovenian:	nespameten
Spanish:	tonto
Swedish:	dåraktig, dum
Turkish:	aptal

ˈfoolish2 adjective

ridiculous
Example: He looked very foolish.

Arabic:	سَخيف
Chinese (Simplified):	可笑的
Chinese (Traditional):	可笑的
Czech:	směšný
Danish:	latterlig
Dutch:	belachelijk
Estonian:	naeruväärne
Finnish:	naurettava
French:	ridicule
German:	albern
Greek:	γελοίος
Hungarian:	nevetséges
Icelandic:	fáránlegur
Indonesian:	menggelikan
Italian:	ridicolo

Japanese:	ばかげた
Korean:	우스운
Latvian:	muļķīgs
Lithuanian:	juokingas
Norwegian:	latterlig
Polish:	śmieszny
Portuguese (Brazil):	ridículo
Portuguese (Portugal):	ridículo
Romanian:	ridicol
Russian:	нелепый
Slovak:	smiešny
Slovenian:	smešen
Spanish:	ridículo
Swedish:	fånig
Turkish:	gülünç

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Foolish

Ab*surd"\, a. [L. absurdus harsh-sounding; ab + (prob) a derivative fr. a root svar to sound; not connected with surd: cf. F. absurde. See Syringe.] Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and fiatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of common sense; logically contradictory; nonsensical; ridiculous; as, an absurd person, an absurd opinion; an absurd dream.

This proffer is absurd and reasonless. --Shak.

'This phrase absurd to call a villain great. --Pope. --p. 9

Syn: Foolish; irrational; ridiculous; preposterous; inconsistent; incongruous.

Usage: Absurd, Irrational, Foolish, Preposterous. Of these terms, irrational is the weakest, denoting that which is plainly inconsistent with the dictates of sound reason; as, an irrational course of life. Foolish rises higher, and implies either a perversion of that faculty, or an absolute weakness or fatuity of mind; as, foolish enterprises. Absurd rises still higher, denoting that which is plainly opposed to received notions of propriety and truth; as, an absurd man, project, opinion, story, argument, etc. Preposterous rises still higher, and supposes an absolute inversion in the order of things; or, in plain terms, a "putting of the cart before the horse;" as, a preposterous suggestion, preposterous conduct, a preposterous regulation or law.

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