ˈfülish, -lēsh adjective
( sometimes -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English folish, foolish, from fol, fool + -ish
1. : marked by folly : lacking in judgment, fit consideration, or intelligence: as
a. : lacking in intellect : idiotic , feebleminded , simple
b. : lacking in discretion or consideration of effects and consequences
many changes that well might seem rash, mistaken, foolish and ill-advised — J.C.Powys
c. : lacking in sense or seriousness : nonsensical
obscurely and uselessly, like a foolish suggestion — Liam O'Flaherty
d. : lacking in significance, balance, fitness, or relevance
a prince who should … not, like a subject, foolish matters mince — John Keats
e. : lacking in prowess, cunning, or strength
the line which foolish birds are caught with — William Wordsworth
f. : idly and vainly enthusiastic or enamored : infatuated
when you began to feel foolish about that man, I warned you he would not make you happy — Thomas Hardy
2.
a. : absurd , ridiculous
a foolish little hat
b. : nonplussed, abashed
stood looking and feeling foolish — Arnold Bennett
c. obsolete : diverting , amusing
3. : absurdly paltry, insignificant, or inadequate : trifling , humble
we have a trifling, foolish banquet toward — Shakespeare
all our foolish little paper knives and pincushions — Compton Mackenzie
Synonyms:
silly , absurd , preposterous : foolish applies to what is marked by folly and nonsense, to what is not wise, sensible, or judicious
only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment — F.D.Roosevelt
we need courage to look into our own heart and clear it of the foolish desires which make us sow vain hopes and devote needless toil and anxiety to raise bitter crops of disappointment — M.R.Cohen
silly may indicate a fatuous lack of common sense, a witless, inane, or childish lack of reason
how silly an ardent and unsuccessful wooer can be, especially if he's getting on in years — Dashiell Hammett
a circle of silly young officers, who talked in bellicose and boastful terms — Times Literary Supplement
absurd may apply to what is flagrantly and ridiculously inconsistent with reason and common sense
it is absurd to suppose that the shrewd traders … were moved by an abstract question of hereditary right — J.R.Green
preposterous may indicate glaring, nonsensical lack of reasonableness
if a man cannot see a church, it is preposterous to take his opinion about its altarpiece or painted window — T.H.Huxley
a preposterous attempt to turn back the pages of history — V.L.Parrington
a preposterous kind of resentment which endeavors to wreak itself on the beloved object — Nathaniel Hawthorne
Synonym: see in addition simple .