ˈfälē, -li noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English folie, from Old French, from fol foolish, mad + -ie -y — more at fool
1. : lack of good sense or of normal prudence and foresight : weakness or triviality of intellect
answer not a fool according to his folly — Prov 26:4 (Authorized Version)
folly has a louder voice than common sense — C.H.Grandgent
2. : inability or refusal to accept existing reality or to foresee inevitable consequence
the folly of passing on hills and blind curves
reformers … are prone to regard the existing order as sheer folly or evil — H.J.Muller
3. : a thoughtless act or irrational idea : an unconsidered or unwise procedure
she had been guilty of the capital folly of cutting herself off from her family — Arnold Bennett
4.
a. obsolete : evil , wickedness ; especially : lewdness
b. : actions or conduct so misguided as to result in destruction or tragic consequence
saints have preached … the folly of human strife — M.R.Cohen
5. : an excessively costly or unprofitable undertaking ; especially : a ruinously costly often unfinished building
6.
a. : a lapse from strict propriety or sobriety : indulgence , whim , vanity , foolery
let us go while we are in our prime; and take the harmless folly of the time — Robert Herrick †1674
follies of fashion
b. : a summerhouse or pavilion designed for picturesque effect or to suit a fanciful taste
7. follies plural : a stage revue