folly

Universal Words noun (plural follies) 1 [U,C] ~ (to do sth) a lack of good judgement; the fact of doing sth stupid; an activity or idea that shows a lack of judgement: an act of sheer folly * the follies of youth * Giving up a secure job seems to be the height of folly. * It would be folly to turn the offer down. * His idealism had been soured by the varied spectacle of human folly. 2 [C] (BrE) a building that has no practical purpose but was built in the past as an ornament, often in the garden of a large country house