Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of foolish

42 similar words · 1 opposite word

Another word for foolish is ridiculous. Other synonyms of foolish are silly, absurd, fuzzy-headed, unwise and idiotic. The opposite of foolish is wise.

Synonyms and similar words for foolish

adjectiveMore synonyms

  • absurdContrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates...
  • idioticHaving the quality of idiocy; very foolish.
  • ridiculousDeserving of ridicule; foolish, absurd.
  • sillyLaughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.
  • unwiseNot wise; lacking wisdom.
  • asinineVery foolish; failing to exercise intelligence or judgement or rationality.
  • balmy US, informalFoolish; slightly crazy or mad; eccentric.
  • barmy Ireland, informalVery foolish.
  • bedaftStupid; foolish; dim-witted.
  • loony
  • daftFoolish, silly, stupid.
  • derpy slangFoolish, silly.
  • dim-headedSynonym of dim-witted.
  • dim-wittedBeing a dimwit; stupid; foolish; simple.
  • dopeyStupid, silly.
  • dull-headedSynonym of dull-witted.
  • dull-wittedHaving a dull, blunt wit or mind; unintelligent.
  • dumbStupid.
  • duncicalLike a dunce; stupid or silly.
  • fatuousObnoxiously stupid; vacantly silly; content in one's foolishness.
  • fuzzy-headedCharacterized by vague or confused thinking: foolish, dull-witted, drunk.
  • fuzzy-mindedSynonym of fuzzy-headed: characterized by vague or confused thinking, dull-witted.
  • gauvison UK, dialectalSilly; foolish.
  • goofy
  • insipientFoolish; lacking wisdom; stupid.
  • mookishResembling or characteristic of a mook; foolish; bumbling.
  • naive
  • simple euphemisticTrivial; insignificant.
  • slow-wittedLacking a keen or swift intellect, not too bright or not too swift.
  • softheadedLacking sound judgment or resolve; stupid; weak-minded.
  • soft in the headSynonym of softheaded.
  • stupid
  • thickStupid.
  • unsageUnwise.
  • wool-headed
  • woolly-headed
  • woolly-minded
  • crackpotEccentric or impractical.
  • denseSlow to comprehend; of low intelligence. (of a person).
  • idle obsoleteOf no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.
  • slight obsoleteMinor; small in amount.
  • sottish datedFoolish, stupid, senseless.

Opposite of foolish

adjectiveMore antonyms

Meaning of foolish

  1. adjective Lacking good sense or judgement as a general trait; unwise; stupid.
  2. adjective Not based on good sense or judgement; as a fool would do or conclude.
  3. adjective Resembling or characteristic of a fool.

Full definition of foolish

foolish in other languages

Questions about synonyms of foolish

What is another word for foolish?
Foolish has 42 synonyms on Word.ws, such as ridiculous, silly, absurd, fuzzy-headed, unwise, idiotic, slow-witted and asinine.
What is the opposite of foolish?
The opposite of foolish is wise.
What does foolish mean?
Foolish means lacking good sense or judgement as a general trait; unwise; stupid.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: foolish (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of foolish.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/foolish. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.