- unwise; silly
- resulting from folly or stupidity
- ridiculous or absurd; not worthy of consideration
- lacking in intelligence
- an archaic word for insignificant
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
fool•ish /ˈfulɪʃ/USA pronunciation
adj.
fool•ish•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- resulting from or showing a lack of good sense:a foolish prank.
- lacking forethought or caution;
appearing like a fool:felt foolish asking such a big favor.
fool•ish•ness, n. [uncountable]
fool•ish
(fo̅o̅′lish),USA pronunciation adj.
fool′ish•ly, adv.
fool′ish•ness, n.
- resulting from or showing a lack of sense;
ill-considered;
unwise:a foolish action, a foolish speech. - lacking forethought or caution.
- trifling, insignificant, or paltry.
- Middle English folish, foolish. See fool1, -ish1 1250–1300
fool′ish•ness, n.
- 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.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
foolish /ˈfuːlɪʃ/ adj