foolishness
gb/fˈulɪʃnəs/ us/fˈulɪʃnəs/
B2
Engleză
~ 9800
Sensuri
0 sensuri
Substantiv
B2
property
1
lack of good sense or judgment
The quality of not being wise and not using good judgment.
Tipar de utilizare:
[someone]'s foolishness about [something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes treat "foolishness" as countable and say *many foolishnesses*; in modern English it is almost always uncountable, so use *much foolishness* or *a lot of foolishness*. They may also confuse it with "stupidity": "stupidity" can sound more insulting about a person’s intelligence, while "foolishness" focuses more on bad choices or behavior in a situation.
Sinonime
stupidity (Stronger and more insulting; often suggests low intelligence, not just bad judgment.)
|
folly (Slightly more formal or literary; often used about serious lack of judgment over time.)
|
lack of judgment (More neutral and descriptive; focuses clearly on poor decision-making.)
Antonime
wisdom (Emphasizes deep understanding and good judgment, the direct opposite of foolishness.)
|
good sense (Focuses on practical, everyday good judgment, contrasting with foolishness in daily decisions.)
Colocații
sheer foolishness
|pure foolishness
|admit my foolishness
|because of his foolishness
|the height of foolishness
|drunken foolishness
Teme
character
|emotions
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- Looking back, she was ashamed of her foolishness in trusting a complete stranger with her savings.
- His career was damaged by the foolishness of posting rude comments on social media.
- Out of sheer foolishness, they ignored the weather warnings and went sailing anyway.
- The company paid a high price for the foolishness of expanding too quickly.
- In his youth, his foolishness often put him in dangerous situations.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- I regret my foolishness in telling him that secret.
- Her foolishness cost the team a lot of money.
- Because of his foolishness, they missed the last train.
- Their foolishness was to drive after drinking alcohol.
- We laughed later at the foolishness of our plan.
Substantiv
B2
entity
2
a foolish act or decision
A thing that someone does that is not wise and shows bad judgment.
Tipar de utilizare:
It is foolishness to [do something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes only know the adjective "foolish" and say *"It was very foolish"* instead of using the noun: *"It was pure foolishness."* Both are correct, but this sense focuses on using the noun to talk about a specific act. Also, avoid adding an article when using it in a general way; say *"That was foolishness,"* not *"That was a foolishness"* in most modern contexts.
Sinonime
mistake (More general and neutral; does not always suggest very poor judgment, just being wrong.)
|
stupid move (More informal and direct; stronger, sometimes ruder, than "foolishness.")
Antonime
wise decision (Directly contrasts a bad, foolish act with a good, thoughtful choice.)
Colocații
an act of foolishness
|one moment of foolishness
|a piece of foolishness
|such foolishness
|this kind of foolishness
Teme
daily_life
|risk
|behavior
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- Climbing the mountain alone in winter was pure foolishness.
- The manager refused to support any foolishness like investing all their money in one risky project.
- His latest foolishness was quitting his job without another one lined up.
- I will not take part in this foolishness of driving all night without a rest.
- That little piece of foolishness nearly got them arrested.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- It was foolishness to leave your bag open on the train.
- Her foolishness was to trust a man she had just met.
- Don’t repeat the same foolishness again.
- That kind of foolishness can get you into trouble.
- His foolishness almost caused an accident.
Substantiv
informal
B2
property
3
playful, silly, not-serious behavior
Funny, silly behavior that is just for fun and not serious.
Tipar de utilizare:
[someone] needs to stop the foolishness
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may think "foolishness" is always strongly negative. In this sense, it can be fairly positive or neutral, like "silliness" or "playfulness." Context and tone tell you whether it is friendly or critical.
Sinonime
silliness (Very close in meaning; often sounds slightly lighter and more playful than "foolishness.")
|
goofing around (Informal; describes playful, not-serious behavior, often among friends or children.)
Antonime
seriousness (Opposite mood; focuses on being formal, careful, or focused instead of playful or silly.)
Colocații
stop the foolishness
|tired of this foolishness
|childish foolishness
|all this foolishness
|a bit of foolishness
Teme
social
|emotions
|humor
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- There was a lot of foolishness in the office on Friday afternoon as everyone waited for the weekend.
- The teacher walked in and told the students to cut out the foolishness and sit down.
- I enjoy a bit of foolishness with my friends after work.
- Their late-night foolishness in the hallway woke up half the building.
- He pretends to be annoyed, but he secretly likes the children’s foolishness.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Stop this foolishness and listen to me.
- The party was full of fun and foolishness.
- The children’s foolishness made everyone laugh.
- I am too tired for any more foolishness tonight.
- They were in the park, just talking and enjoying some foolishness.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
foolishness
IPA
GB/fˈulɪʃnəs/
US/fˈulɪʃnəs/
Silabe și accent
fool - ish - ness (3 silabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (fool)
Forme ale cuvântului
Noun
- Base: foolishness
- Plural: foolishness
Familie de cuvinte
Expresii
the height of foolishness
1/ðə hˈaɪt əv fˈulɪʃnəs/
fixed phrase
extreme level of foolishness
Used to say that something is extremely foolish and shows very bad judgment.
Exemple
- Driving without a seat belt is the height of foolishness.
- Investing all your savings in one unknown company would be the height of foolishness.
- He called it the height of foolishness to travel without health insurance.