1. The trait of acting stupidly or rashly
   "His folly in investing all his savings in a single stock led to financial ruin";
   - foolishness, unwiseness, daftness
    
2. A stupid mistake
   "His folly at the formal dinner embarrassed everyone";
   - stupidity, bêtise, foolishness, imbecility
    
3. The quality of being rash and foolish
   "trying to drive through a blizzard is the height of folly";
   - foolishness, craziness, madness, nuttiness [informal], insanity
    
4. Foolish or senseless behaviour
   "The court jester's folly amused the king";
   - foolery, tomfoolery, craziness, lunacy, indulgence
    
5. A fanciful building built for purely ornamental reasons
   "The 18th-century folly in the garden was a popular spot for picnics"

Derived forms: follies

Type of: caper [informal], daftness [informal], error, fault, feeblemindedness, frolic, gambol, mistake, play, romp, stupidity, trait

Antonym: wisdom

Encyclopedia: Folly