foolishfool‧ish /ˈfuːlɪʃ/ ●●○ adjective 
I’ve never heard anything so foolish in all my life. It would be foolish to ignore his advice.be foolish enough to do something I was foolish enough to believe him.► see thesaurus at stupidRegisterIn everyday English, people usually say silly or stupid rather than foolish:· It was a silly thing to say.· I felt a bit stupid when she said no.2a foolish person behaves in a silly way or looks silly SYN stupid: I was young and foolish at the time. a foolish grinlook/feel foolish He’d been made to look foolish.—foolishly adverb: She foolishly agreed to go with them.—foolishness noun [uncountable]
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a foolish decision
- I think the board of directors made a foolish choice that it will later regret.
- It was a warning she would have been foolish to ignore.
- Jan realised later that her behaviour had been very foolish.
- At times his language turned crude and made him look foolish.
- Besides being heart-broken she felt foolish and a failure.
- It is foolish to think, therefore, that any social, cultural affair or any language has remained the same.
- Maybe her request sounded foolish, but the prospect of facing Robert after everything that had happened between them was disturbing.
- The current tuberculosis epidemic, which threatens the entire population with antibiotic-resistant strains, is the result of one such foolish cutback.
THESAURUS
showing a total lack of good sense or good judgment. Stupid sounds very strong and is often used when you are annoyed or strongly criticizing someone’s behaviour: · I wish you’d stop asking stupid questions.· It was stupid of me to leave the door unlocked.· Well, if you’re stupid enough to skate on the lake, you deserve to fall in.
doing or saying things that are not sensible or serious, and that may make you feel embarrassed later. Silly sounds much gentler than stupid: · a silly mistake· Don’t be so silly! There’s nothing wrong with you.· I think you’re silly to worry so much about your hair.
informal not sensible, often in a way that is also amusing: · Is this another of your daft ideas?· Don’t be daft! Of course you’re not too old to go clubbing.
informal especially American English stupid: · a dumb question· He was dumb enough to believe her.· Oh, I just did the dumbest thing back there, I forgot my purse.
stupid. Foolish sounds rather formal and is used mainly in written English. The usual words to use in everyday English are silly or stupid: · It was a foolish thing to say.· They did not want to look foolish.· It was all a foolish dream.· I think the board of directors made a foolish choice that it will later regret.
formal done without thinking carefully enough about the possible disadvantages that may result: · She knew the marriage was unwise.· an unwise choice of words· It would be very unwise to speculate.
British English often humorous used when you think that what someone is planning or suggesting is certain to fail, but you do not want to say directly that they are behaving in a stupid way: · The leader of the opposition described it as ‘a brave decision.’· I think he’s being very brave.
Longman Language Activatorstupid behaviour, actions, ideas etc someone who is stupid or does stupid things does things that are not at all sensible and may have bad results: · You stupid boy! I've told you not to play with matches!· Withdraw the police from the area? I've never heard such a stupid idea!· Well, if you're stupid enough to skate on the lake, you deserve to fall in.· Don't you call me a stupid idiot!stupid to do something: · You'd have to be stupid not to take advantage of a great offer like this!do something stupid: · I was very drunk last night -- I hope I didn't do anything stupid.it is stupid (of somebody) to do something: · It was stupid of me to believe her of course, but I did.a stupid thing to say/do: · That was a stupid thing to say.· I didn't say you were stupid, I said it was a stupid thing to do.
especially American, spoken stupid: · She's always asking such dumb questions.· She told him Jeff was just a friend, and he was dumb enough to believe her.· Oh, I just did the dumbest thing back there, I forgot my briefcase.
someone who is silly or who says silly things does or says things that are not sensible or serious, and that may make them feel embarrassed later: · Now don't be silly, get up off the floor.· You've made a lot of silly mistakes in this essay.· I have a question which might sound a bit silly.it is silly to do something: · I think you're silly to worry so much about your hair.it is silly of somebody: · That was silly of me -- I just locked the trunk and the keys are inside.silly little: · You're just a silly little boy.a silly thing to do/say: · I had locked myself out, which was a silly thing to do.
British informal stupid in what you do or say, but often in a way that is also amusing: · Is this another of your daft ideas?· Don't be daft! Of course you're not too old to go clubbing.· Well, what's the daftest thing you've ever done at work?daft thing to do/say: · What a daft thing to say!daft as a brush (=used to say that someone is very daft): · She's as daft as a brush, honestly she is.
formal stupid and not thinking sensibly about the possible results of what you do: · Jan realised later that her behaviour had been very foolish.· I think the board of directors made a foolish choice that it will later regret.it is foolish (of somebody) to do something: · It was a warning she would have been foolish to ignore.
formal an action or plan that is ill-advised is stupid because it will probably cause problems in the future or be unsuccessful: · In an ill-advised effort to improve matters, they sent him to boarding school.· The bank claims that the company's losses are the result of an ill-advised decision to declare bankruptcy.
done without thinking carefully enough about the possible disadvantages that may result: · She knew the marriage was unwise, but she wanted a husband and a family.· A Defence Department spokesman described the comments as 'extraordinarily unwise'.· His appointment as chief executive proved to be a very unwise decision.· It's unwise to travel alone in certain parts of the city, so always take a cab.
irrational actions, feelings, or beliefs are not based on clear thinking or sensible reasons, so they are strange or hard to understand: · If Dane drinks even a couple of beers, he becomes irrational and even violent.· Jane's irrational hopes began to rise as she listened to him.irrational fear of/about something: · an irrational fear of flying
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY It would be foolish to ignore his advice. He’d been made to look foolish.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
1a foolish action, remark etc is stupid and shows that someone is not thinking sensibly SYN silly: It would be foolish to ignore his advice. He’d been made to look foolish.· This pessimistic extreme is as foolish as its optimistic predecessor.· And yet he does things as foolish as that.· To eat chalk is as foolish as to try to write on a blackboard with cheese!· She felt a brief surge of annoyance, but then dismissed it as foolish.
· How many people prayed at the stake? How foolish I look, kneeling like this..· I think of how foolish I have been to bring her this present.· Privilege? How foolish of me!· No, of course he didn't - how foolish could she get?
· Not so foolish as to put your head in a noose.· He smiled that ironic smile of his that always made me feel so foolish.· How could she have been so thoughtless, so foolish, done something so unarguably dangerous?· Trying to claim relationship with the rich d'Urbervilles seemed so foolish and shameful to her.· No girl would be so foolish, especially as it is so long ago, and not your fault at all.· Surely Lorton wouldn't be so foolish as to kill Newley?· Why, it's so foolish.· That his distress was so foolish, made it all the more poignant.
· Macbeth, although shown to be very brave and soldier-like, is also very foolish.· It's very foolish of you, you know.· He afterwards thought this refusal very foolish and regretted that he did not go.· That was very foolish, because relationships aren't everything.
NOUN· I would have been a foolish man to do otherwise.· And I, foolish man, felt so rebuffed that I hardly ever tried to go through the barriers.· The foolish man built his house on sand.
· They write off Ireland as a spent force, which in my experience is a foolish thing to do.· This is an understandable thing to do... and can be a wise or foolish thing to do.· Who would do such a foolish thing?· All that money that might get wasted on foolish things like helping the poor.· But, foolish thing that I am, this poor Miss Sally Godfrey runs in my head!· These foolish things, she thought, remind me of you. ... And it was true.· True, she opened herself up to the press and said some foolish things in her grief.
· These foolish things, she thought, remind me of you. ... And it was true.· All that money that might get wasted on foolish things like helping the poor.· True, she opened herself up to the press and said some foolish things in her grief.
I’ve never heard anything so foolish in all my life. It would be foolish to ignore his advice.be foolish enough to do something I was foolish enough to believe him.► see thesaurus at stupidRegisterIn everyday English, people usually say silly or stupid rather than foolish:· It was a silly thing to say.· I felt a bit stupid when she said no.2a foolish person behaves in a silly way or looks silly SYN stupid: I was young and foolish at the time. a foolish grinlook/feel foolish He’d been made to look foolish.—foolishly adverb: She foolishly agreed to go with them.—foolishness noun [uncountable]