Added 9 October 2026
foolhardy
/ˈfuːlhɑːdi/ adjective
Latin root: follis Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about foolhardy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Marked by unthinking recklessness with disregard for danger; boldly rash; hotheaded.
noun
- A person who is foolhardy.
Origin
From Middle English folehardy, foolhardi, folherdi, from Old French fol hardi (“foolishly bold”), from Old French fol (“foolish, silly; insane, mad”) (from Latin follis (“bellows; purse, sack; inflated ball; belly, paunch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ- (“to swell”)) + Old French hardi (“durable, hardy, tough”) (past tense of hardir (“to harden”), from the unattested Frankish *hartjan, from Proto-Germanic *harduz (“hard; brave”)), equivalent to fool + hardy. Compare fool-bold, fool-large, etc.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)