as in fopperies
a foolish act or idea
writing a sequel to a Jane Austen novel must be regarded as a literary bêtise of the highest order
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bêtises
Noun
-
Working with Chhaya clients who were facing foreclosure, Mamdani got an intimate look at the little insanities of the city’s housing crisis.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Potential adversaries interpret political action in zero-sum terms; see malice and evil design in mere blunders and coincidence; trumpet necessity rather than navigate choice; and, in extreme cases, invent pretext or promise profit to make more palatable a dubious cause.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
-
There's a short list of popular social blunders, but experts also say there are proven ways to avoid them.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
And then the follies of the ensuing play, which supplanted the earlier stand at the very same spot on the field as the most indelible and revealing snapshot of the game.—
Chris Ochsner,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Asimov's original idea was to conceive a sound system by which humanity's foibles and follies could be traced and tracked over centuries.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
For all its pointed absurdities, this is an incredibly tense drama, and Farrell’s frozen face is one of its greatest weapons.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Everyday absurdities, moral failings and big-city tension carry a pointed social sting.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For the past four years, Honan has been a worm in Adams’s apple, scoring scoop after scoop about the dramas, inanities, and intrigues of his administration.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Bêtises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/b%C3%AAtises. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share