Folly: meaning, definitions and examples

๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™‚๏ธ
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folly

 

[ หˆfษ‘li ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

act of foolishness

Folly is the lack of good sense or judgement, resulting in foolish or irrational actions. It is the quality of being unwise or imprudent.

Synonyms

foolishness, imprudence, recklessness

Examples of usage

  • His decision to quit his job without another lined up was a great folly.
  • She realized the folly of her ways when it was too late.
Context #2 | Noun

a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose

Folly can also refer to a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose, often found in gardens or parks as a decorative feature.

Synonyms

decorative structure, garden feature, ornamental building

Examples of usage

  • The old estate had a beautiful folly overlooking the lake.
  • The garden's centerpiece was a large folly built in the 18th century.

Translations

Translations of the word "folly" in other languages:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น loucura

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เคฎเฅ‚เคฐเฅเค–เคคเคพ

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Torheit

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ kebodohan

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ะดัƒั€ั–ัั‚ัŒ

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ gล‚upota

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ๆ„šใ‹ใ•

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท folie

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ locura

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท aptallฤฑk

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ์–ด๋ฆฌ์„์Œ

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ุญู…ุงู‚ุฉ

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ poลกetilost

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ blรกznovstvo

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ๆ„š่ ข

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ norost

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ heimska

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ะฐา›ั‹ะผะฐา›ั‚ั‹า›

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒกแƒ˜แƒกแƒฃแƒšแƒ”แƒšแƒ”

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ dษ™lilik

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ locura

Etymology

The word 'folly' originated from Middle English 'folie', from Old French 'folie', from Latin 'folia' meaning 'foolishness'. It has been used in English since the late 13th century with various meanings related to foolishness and impracticality.

See also: fool, foolery, foolhardy, foolish, foolishly, foolishness, tomfoolery.

Word Frequency Rank

At #7,412 in frequency, this word belongs to advanced vocabulary. It's less common than core vocabulary but important for sophisticated expression.