Foolishness: meaning, definitions and examples

A duplicate of the word above. It seems there might be a mistake. Please disregard or replace with another term.

To denote light-hearted or humorous actions or thoughts, often used affectionately or in a not very serious manner.

• His silliness always makes everyone laugh.
• Stop that silliness and focus on your work.

To strongly criticize someone’s lack of intelligence or poor decisions, often used in a harsh or negative manner.

• His stupidity is beyond belief.
• Because of their stupidity, the whole plan failed.

When emphasizing the lack of logic or reason behind someone's thoughts or actions, often used in a more formal or serious context.

• Her irrationality about the situation made it hard to have a proper conversation.
• They were frustrated by his irrationality during the meeting.

This word can be used to describe a lack of good sense or judgment in someone's actions or thoughts. It implies a level of silliness or unwise behavior.

• Jumping into the freezing water without a wetsuit was pure foolishness.
• His foolishness often got him into trouble at school.

Absurdity highlights something that is extremely unreasonable or illogical, often to the point where it cannot be taken seriously. It can also refer to a situation that seems irrational.

• The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.
• The idea that pigs could fly was pure absurdity.

Used to describe language, ideas, or actions that are silly, absurd, or have no meaning. It often carries a dismissive tone, implying that something should not be taken seriously.

• Talking about aliens controlling our minds is complete nonsense.
• She dismissed his conspiracy theories as nonsense.

This word is used to point out how something is extremely silly or unreasonable, often in a way that it appears laughable or worthy of mockery.

• The ridiculousness of wearing a heavy coat in summer was clear to everyone.
• The movie was full of ridiculousness, making it hard to take seriously.