Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Foolish behavior or speech.
  • noun An instance of foolish behavior or speech; a jest.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The habit of acting foolishly; habitual folly; attention to trifles.
  • noun An act of folly; a trifling or senseless action.
  • noun A foolish performance; a farcical exhibition; a mummery; a farce.
  • noun A foolish belief or practice; anything based on fatuity.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The practice of folly; the behavior of a fool; absurdity.
  • noun An act of folly or weakness; a foolish practice; something absurd or nonsensical.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Foolish behaviour or speech.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun foolish or senseless behavior

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

fool +‎ -ery

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Examples

  • Daisy, Daisy, "said he, shaking her shoulders gently," this religious foolery is spoiling you.

    Melbourne House 1907

  • No man can threaten me, even anonymously or in foolery.

    Winged Blackmail 2010

  • No man can threaten me, even anonymously or in foolery.

    Winged Blackmail 1913

  • "I can only foresee," he exclaimed, "the working-classes of Europe uniting in a great federation to cry: 'We will have no more of this madness and foolery, which is grinding us to powder!'"

    Essays in Rebellion Henry W. Nevinson 1900

  • And I'm not going to let anybody get away with that kind of foolery!

    Matthews Does His Job for a Change 2008

  • And I'm not going to let anybody get away with that kind of foolery!

    Matthews Does His Job for a Change 2008

  • This was the kind of foolery the children understood and liked.

    The Rockingdown Mystery Blyton, Enid, 1898?-1968 1949

  • In every kind of foolery she is a most willing ally with Henrik and Eva, whenever they will grant her so much favour; and if these three be heard whispering together, one may be quite sure that some roguery or other is on foot.

    The Home Fredrika Bremer 1833

  • Museveni said that he himself participated in the "foolery" and has taken Vincent Otti,s telephone calls and sent the LRA cows for Christmas.

    The Guardian World News 2010

  • "I'm not going to let anyone get away with that kind of foolery," Matthews said.

    1115.org 2008

Comments

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  • "This man was not dying, he was alive just as we were alive. All the organs of his body were working —bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming—all toiling away in solemn foolery."

    - George Orwell, 'A Hanging'.

    September 9, 2009