From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfoolishfool‧ish /ˈfuːlɪʃ/ ●●○ adjective 1 STUPID/NOT SENSIBLEa foolish action, remark etc is stupid and shows that someone is not thinking sensibly SYN silly I’ve never heard anything so foolish in all my life. It would be foolish to ignore his advice.be foolish enough to do something I was foolish enough to believe him.► see thesaurus at stupidRegisterIn everyday English, people usually say silly or stupid rather than foolish:It was a silly thing to say.I felt a bit stupid when she said no.2 STUPID/NOT SENSIBLEa foolish person behaves in a silly way or looks silly SYN stupid I was young and foolish at the time. a foolish grinlook/feel foolish He’d been made to look foolish. —foolishly adverb She foolishly agreed to go with them. —foolishness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
foolish• Jan realised later that her behaviour had been very foolish.• At times his language turned crude and made him look foolish.• Besides being heart-broken she felt foolish and a failure.• Maybe her request sounded foolish, but the prospect of facing Robert after everything that had happened between them was disturbing.• I think the board of directors made a foolish choice that it will later regret.• The current tuberculosis epidemic, which threatens the entire population with antibiotic-resistant strains, is the result of one such foolish cutback.• a foolish decision• It was a warning she would have been foolish to ignore.• It is foolish to think, therefore, that any social, cultural affair or any language has remained the same.be foolish enough to do something• He sincerely hoped that the Navigator would never be foolish enough to try to charm Meh'Lindi into his bed.• Just a few days ago I was foolish enough to allow my hopes to rise.• The good Duke was foolish enough to make enquiries about certain precious relics and the King's agents closed in.• Woe betide anyone who is foolish enough to leave his rod unattended when barbel fishing.look/feel foolish• A more devious theory is that the whole red-mercury affair is simply a fantasy dreamt up to make Mr Rutskoi look foolish.• Another bird: This bird made the first bird feel foolish.• Besides being heart-broken she felt foolish and a failure.• Now it looked foolish and out of place.• In public he felt foolish beside her.• Oliver said he felt foolish running away and it would be best to slow and let the man pass. 