Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tomfoolery

/ˈtɑmˌful.ɚ.i/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.23 in modern English

Syllables: tom-fool-ery
IPA: /ˈtɑmˌful.ɚ.i/

18

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Foolish behaviour or speech.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Countable; Slang; Uncountable

Example Sentences

""Do not think THAT," I put in. "It was not so at all. I grant you that my behaviour was bad—I fully confess that it was so, and make no secret of the fact. I would even go so far as to grant you that my behaviour might well be called stupid and indecent tomfoolery; but, MORE than that it was not."

Etymology

Etymology tree Aramaic תאמא Aramaic תאומאbor. Ancient Greek Θωμᾶς (Thōmâs)bor. Latin Thōmāsbor. Middle English Thomas Middle English Thomme English Tom English foolery English tomfoolery From Tom (“a common man”) + foolery.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈtɑmˌful.ɚ.i/
British English: /ˌtɒmˈfuːlə.ɹi/

Usage

Inflected Forms

tomfooleries (plural)

Derived Forms

bumfoolery tomfoolerous

Synonyms

buffoonery folly foolery craziness lunacy indulgence

Questions

How do you pronounce tomfoolery?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtɑmˌful.ɚ.i/.
What does tomfoolery mean?: Foolish behaviour or speech.
Where does tomfoolery come from?: Etymology tree Aramaic תאמא Aramaic תאומאbor. Ancient Greek Θωμᾶς (Thōmâs)bor. Latin Thōmāsbor. Middle English Thomas Middle English Thomme English Tom English foolery English tomfoolery From Tom (“a common man”) + foolery.

How to pronounce tomfoolery

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