B2noun · countable / uncountable · rare

folly

fol·ly

folly · follies

божевілля, безумство, шаленість

блажь, безрассудство, глупость, дурь

Verrücktheit, Dummheit, Unsinn, Torheit

Foolishness that results from a lack of foresight or lack of practicalityFoolishness that results from a lack of foresight or lack of practicality.

ⓘ

UK/ˈfɒli/US/ˈfɑli/

» There's always something good in human folly.

У людському божевіллі завжди є щось добре.

Meaning

4 senses

(countable, uncountable)Foolishness that results from a lack of foresight or lack of practicality.
It would be folly to walk all that way, knowing the shops are probably shut by now.
Torheit, Narrheit, Dummheit
глу́постьglúpostʹ, недомы́слиеnedomýslije, дурьdurʹ
(countable, uncountable)Thoughtless action resulting in tragic consequence.
The purchase of Alaska from Russia was termed Seward's folly.
Fahrlässigkeit, Eselei, Unsinn
безрассу́дствоbezrassúdstvo, при́хотьpríxotʹ, блажьblažʹ
(countable, uncountable)A fanciful building built for purely ornamental reasons.
A luncheonette in the shape of a coffee cup is particularly conspicuous, as is intended of an architectural duck or folly.
Zierbau, Prunkbau
A clump of trees, particularly one on the crest of a hill (or sometimes on a stretch of open ground).

More definitions

foolish or senseless behavior
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
the quality of being rash and foolish
a stupid mistake

Examples

34 sentences

There's always something good in human folly.
У людському божевіллі завжди є щось добре.
CC BY · Tatoeba · Scott · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
What a piece of folly!
Яка дурниця!
deWas für eine Dummheit!
CC BY · Tatoeba · magnificentgoddess · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
It's folly to eat so much.
ruГлупо столько есть.
deEs ist dumm, so viel zu essen.
CC BY · Tatoeba · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
It is an act of folly.
deEs ist ein Akt der Torheit.
CC BY · Tatoeba · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
My daughter partakes in various follies.
CC BY · Tatoeba · Huskion · C1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem

Translations

7 languages

Русский

By meaning 2

foolishness:

thoughtless action:

Deutsch

By meaning 3

foolishness:

thoughtless action:

fanciful building:

Origin

Inherited from Middle English folie, from Old French folie (“madness”), from the adjective

Inherited from Middle English folie, from Old French folie (“madness”), from the adjective fol (“mad, insane”).

Uncertain. The most common theory is that term primarily denotes a clump of trees and relates to French feuille, feuillée and English foliage; it has also been suggested that it refers to some perceived connection or resemblance of the named place to an architectural folly, but many places so named have no architectural follies and cannot be named directly for them.

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