folly
gb/fˈɑli/ us/fˈɑli/
B2
English
~ 2700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
action
1
A foolish act or decision
A bad idea or action that shows poor judgment.
Usage pattern:
[someone's] folly
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'folly' with 'fool' — 'folly' refers to the act or idea, not the person.
Synonyms
stupidity (More blunt and potentially insulting; refers to lack of intelligence as well as judgment.)
|
recklessness (Focuses more on ignoring risks rather than general poor judgment.)
Antonyms
wisdom (Implies good judgment and decision-making, opposite of folly.)
|
prudence (Emphasizes careful and sensible choices, countering the idea of folly.)
Collocations
act of folly
|great folly
|the height of folly
|pure folly
Themes
judgment
|mistakes
|behavior
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Investing all his savings in that risky scheme was sheer folly.
- It would be folly to ignore the safety warnings.
- The plan was dismissed as political folly by the opposition.
- Her refusal to prepare for the exam proved to be a costly folly.
Learner examples
- It is folly to drive fast in the rain.
- Building a house on sand is folly.
- He saw the folly of his choice after it failed.
Noun
C1
entity
2
Ornamental building with no real use
A building made to look nice but not used for anything important.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this meaning with the 'foolish act' sense; context about buildings is key.
Synonyms
ornamental structure (Technical term emphasizing decorative purpose.)
Antonyms
functional building (A structure built mainly for practical use.)
Collocations
garden folly
|Victorian folly
|stone folly
Themes
architecture
|design
|housing
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- The estate features a stone folly overlooking the lake.
- In the 18th century, wealthy landowners often built follies in their gardens.
- The tower turned out to be a decorative folly with no interior rooms.
Learner examples
- The park has a small stone folly.
- They built a folly to make the garden pretty.
- The folly looks old but has no real use.
Grammar
Dictionary form
folly
IPA
GB/fˈɑli/
US/fˈɑli/
Syllables & stress
folly (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (folly)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: folly
- Plural: follies, folly
Word family
Forms
follies
noun
Core family
Expressions
act of folly
1/ˈækt əv fˈɑli/
fixed phrase
A foolish action or decision
Something done that is very unwise.
Examples
- His decision to skip the meeting was an act of folly.
- Driving without insurance is an act of folly.
the height of folly
1/ðə hˈaɪt əv fˈɑli/
fixed phrase
Extreme foolishness
The most foolish thing possible.
Examples
- It would be the height of folly to go hiking in this storm.
- Quitting your job without another offer is the height of folly.