folie: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1formal
Quick answer
What does “folie” mean?
A foolish or unwise act, idea, or investment.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A foolish or unwise act, idea, or investment; a lack of good sense.
An extravagant or fanciful building, often built for purely decorative or eccentric reasons, typically in a garden or park.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both senses are used in both varieties. The architectural sense is more strongly associated with British country houses and estates.
Connotations
In both varieties, it conveys strong judgment, often of wastefulness or hubris. In British English, the architectural sense can have a quaint, historical, or even charming connotation.
Frequency
The word is more frequent in British English, partly due to the historical prevalence of architectural follies. In American English, it is more literary or formal.
Grammar
How to Use “folie” in a Sentence
It is/would be folly to + INF (It is folly to ignore the warnings)The folly of + NP/GERUND (the folly of his plan)commit an act of follyVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “folie” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- N/A – 'folly' is not used as a verb.
American English
- N/A – 'folly' is not used as a verb.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- N/A – The adjective is 'foolish'. 'Follic' is obsolete.
American English
- N/A – The adjective is 'foolish'. 'Follic' is obsolete.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used to criticise risky investments or flawed strategies (e.g., 'The merger was an economic folly.').
Academic
Used in historical, architectural, or literary analysis (e.g., 'The poem explores the political follies of the era.').
Everyday
Less common; used for emphasis about a clearly bad decision (e.g., 'It'd be sheer folly to drive in this storm.').
Technical
Specific term in landscape architecture for a decorative building without a practical purpose.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “folie”
Neutral
Weak
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “folie”
- Misspelling as 'foly' or 'folley'.
- Using it for minor mistakes (it implies a significant error).
- Confusing it with 'fault' or 'failure'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is more formal and literary. In everyday speech, people are more likely to say 'a stupid idea' or 'a crazy thing to do'.
'Folly' often implies a foolish action or project, especially one with significant consequences or cost. 'Stupidity' is a more general term for low intelligence or a foolish state of mind.
No, 'folly' is exclusively a noun. The related adjective is 'foolish', and the verb would be 'to fool' or 'to act foolishly'.
They are called follies because they were often extravagant, non-functional buildings (like fake ruins, pyramids, or temples) built on large estates, which some considered a foolish use of money for mere decoration or whimsy.
A foolish or unwise act, idea, or investment.
Folie is usually formal in register.
Folie: in British English it is pronounced /ˈfɒli/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈfɑːli/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “a folie à deux (shared madness)”
- “the folly of youth”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a FOOL spending a FORTUNE on a silly building—that's a FOLLY (fool + costly).
Conceptual Metaphor
FOLLY IS A BUILDING / FOOLISHNESS IS A COSTLY CONSTRUCTION (linking the abstract and architectural senses).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'folly' most likely to refer to a physical structure?