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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Foolishness

Foolishness \Fool"ish*ness\, n.

  1. The quality of being foolish.

  2. A foolish practice; an absurdity.

    The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.
    --1 Cor. i. 18.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
foolishness

late 15c., "quality of being foolish," from foolish + -ness. From 1530s as "a foolish practice."

Wiktionary
foolishness

n. 1 (context uncountable English) The state of being foolish. 2 (context countable English) A thing or event that is foolish, or an absurdity.

WordNet
foolishness
  1. n. the trait of acting stupidly or rashly [syn: folly, unwiseness] [ant: wisdom]

  2. the quality of being rash and foolish [syn: folly, craziness]

  3. a stupid mistake [syn: stupidity, betise, folly, imbecility]

Wikipedia
Foolishness

Foolishness is the lack or failure of wisdom and of making proper careful choices. In this sense, it differs from stupidity, which is the lack of intelligence. An act of foolishness is called folly. Foolish talk is called stultiloquence.

Foolishness and wisdom are contrasted in Paul's letter to the Corinthians. He condemns intellectual arrogance and advocates a humble attitude of foolishness in which it is then possible to learn. Plato likewise said, "He is the wisest man who knows himself to be ill-equipped for the study of wisdom", but Paul makes a distinction between wisdom and the reason of the Greeks.

Usage examples of "foolishness".

So he excused himself to his bed and lay there listening to an ambient as new and full of foolishness as could be.

That he could do with himself what he would, that he created a new thing without overturning the old, that he won men to himself by announcing the Father, that he inspired without fanaticism, set up a kingdom without politics, set men free from the world without asceticism, was a teacher without theology, at a time of fanaticism and politics, asceticism and theology, is the great miracle of his person, and that he who preached the Sermon on the Mount declared himself in respect of his life and death, to be the Redeemer and Judge of the world, is the offence and foolishness which mock all reason.

The massive male cringed within his seat, holding to one arm of it, attempting to resist the will of warriors who had little patience with the foolishness of males.

Baas, I thought that the Baas would say that because of his foolishness.

He could feel sorry for any man tormented and bedeviled by a woman, though he could not see their foolishness in letting themselves be drawn to such ends by a simple wench.

Ellen looked stricken, Sal avid, and Henry Clift was shaking his head as if at the foolishness of womankind.

They come along every few ten-nights, that is the well-omened ones do, if ye believe in that star-gazing foolishness, and the apprentices quit work to riot in the streets and the dasht stages a big party for his court with a circus for the common folk.

Three times we have lived in the Bright Demesne, and each time Dazzle has started up some such foolishness.

Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.

James wondered what sort of foolishness Therese had filled her ears with to prepare her to receive such a litany of social falderal without being bored to tears.

Their rash be haviour had led to her dreading that she might repeat their foolishness.

Mistress Kaline was too sick to badger her charge into foolishness, and Tadai had other things on his mind.

It is not only the young men who are afflicted by foolishness, Mama Lota thought.

The foolishness was most strong in Sessurea, for as he whipped himself into position to challenge Maulkin, his orange mane was already erect and toxic.

You both have that same cutting edge to your humor, almost mocking, and neither of you suffers foolishness.