foolishness

English

Etymology

From Middle English folishnesse, follissnesse, equivalent to foolish +‎ -ness.

Noun

foolishness (countable and uncountable, plural foolishnesses)

1. (uncountable) The state of being foolish.
2. (countable) A thing or event that is foolish, or an absurdity.

Synonyms

• imprudence, folly
• extravagance, irresponsibility
• indiscretion, absurdity
• ridiculousness
• stupidity

Antonyms

• wisdom

Related terms

• fool

Translations

state of being foolish

• Bulgarian: глупост (bg) f (glupost), неразумност f (nerazumnost)
• Chichewa: utsiru
• Czech: pošetilost f
• Danish: tåbelighed c
• Esperanto: malsaĝeco
• Finnish: typeryys (fi)
• French: folie (fr) f, sottise (fr) f, déraison (fr) f
• German: Torheit (de) f, Dummheit (de) f, Tölpelhaftigkeit f, Narrheit (de) f, Narrentum n (rare), Unverstand m
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἀφροσύνη f (aphrosúnē), μωρία f (mōría)

• Irish: leibideacht f, amadántacht f, amlógacht f, baothántacht f
• Italian: sciocchezza (it), stupidità (it), pazzia (it) f
• Kabuverdianu: jatura
• Khmer: ល្បែ (lbae)

• Latin: fatuitās f, stultitia f
• Latvian: muļķība f, neprātība f, dumjība
• Manx: meecheeall f, anchreeaght f
• Polish: głupota (pl) f
• Portuguese: tolice (pt) f
• Russian: глу́пость (ru) f (glúpostʹ)
• Sardinian: (northern) macchìghine, macchìne, bambidudine, (southern) scimpròriu
• Scottish Gaelic: amaideas m
• Swahili: upumbavu
• Ukrainian: безглуздість (uk) f (bezhluzdistʹ), нерозсудливість f (nerozsudlyvistʹ)
• Volapük: fop (vo)
• Yiddish: נאַרישקייט‎ f (narishkeyt)

thing or event that is foolish

• Arabic: حَمَاقَة‎ f (ḥamāqa)
• Bulgarian: глупост (bg) f (glupost)
• Czech: pošetilost f
• Danish: tåbelighed c
• Finnish: typeryys (fi)
• French: folie (fr) f, sottise (fr) f, bêtise (fr) f
• German: Dummheit (de) f
• Italian: sciocchezza (it), stupidità (it)

• Kabuverdianu: jatura
• Latin: stultitia f
• Latvian: muļķība, neprātība f, dumjība f
• Polish: głupota (pl) f
• Portuguese: tolice (pt) f
• Russian: глу́пость (ru) f (glúpostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: amaideas m
• Spanish: sandez (es) f, tontería (es) f