A person who lacks good judgment.

synonyms: muggins, sap, saphead, tomfool.

Roget 699: unskillfulness etc. adj.; want of skill etc. 698; incompetence, incompentency^†; inability, infelicity, indexterity^†, inexperience; disqualification, unproficiency^†; quackery.    folly, stupidity etc. 499; indiscretion etc. (rashness) 863; thoughtlessness etc. (inattention) 458 (neglect) 460; sabotage.    mismanagement, misconduct; impolicy^†; maladministration; misrule, misgovernment, misapplication, misdirection, misfeasance; petticoat government.    absence of rule, rule of thumb; bungling etc. v.; failure etc. 732; screw loose: too many cooks.    blunder etc. (mistake) 495; etourderie gaucherie [Fr.], act of folly, balourdise^†; botch, botchery^†; bad job, sad work.    sprat sent out to catch a whale, much ado about nothing, wild-goose chase.    bungler etc. 701; fool etc. 501.    ... show more

Roget 501: fool, idiot, tomfool, wiseacre, simpleton, witling^†, dizzard^†, donkey, ass; ninny, ninnyhammer^†; chowderhead^†, chucklehead^†; dolt, booby, Tom Noddy, looby^†, hoddy-doddy^†, noddy, nonny, noodle, nizy^†, owl; goose, goosecap^†; imbecile; gaby^†; radoteur^†, nincompoop, badaud^†, zany; trifler, babbler; pretty fellow; natural, niais^†.    child, baby, infant, innocent, milksop, sop.    oaf, lout, loon, lown^†, dullard, doodle, calf, colt, buzzard, block, put, stick, stock, numps^†, tony.    bull head, dunderhead, addlehead^†, blockhead, dullhead^†, loggerhead, jolthead^†, jolterhead^†, beetlehead^†, beetlebrain, grosshead^†, muttonhead, noodlehead, giddyhead^†; numbskull, thickskull^†; lackbrain^†, shallowbrain^†; dimwit, halfwit, lackwit^†; dunderpate^†; lunkhead sawney [U.S.], gowk^†; clod, clod-hopper; clod-poll, clot-poll, clot-pate; bull calf; gawk, Gothamite, lummox, rube [U.S.]; men of Boeotia, wise men of Gotham.    un sot a triple etage [Fr.], sot; jobbernowl^†, changeling, mooncalf, gobemouche^†.    dotard, driveler; old fogey, old woman, crock; crone, grandmother; cotquean^†, henhussy^†.    incompetent (insanity) 503.    greenhorn etc. (dupe) 547; dunce etc. (ignoramus) 493; lubber etc. (bungler) 701; madman etc. 504.    one who will not set the Thames on fire; one who did not invent gunpowder, qui n'a pas invente' la poudre [Fr.]; no conjuror.    ... show more

Roget 493: ignoramus, dunce; wooden spoon; no scholar.    [insulting terms for ignorant person:] (imbecility) 499 (folly) 501 moron, imbecile, idiot; fool, jerk, nincompoop, asshole [Vulg.].    [person with superficial knowledge] dilettante, sciolist^†, smatterer, dabbler, half scholar; charlatan; wiseacre.    greenhorn, amateur etc. (dupe) 547; novice, tyro etc. (learner) 541; numskull.    lubber etc. (bungler) 701; fool etc. 501; pedant etc. 492.    ... show more

Roget 450a: absence of intellect, want of intellect etc. 450; imbecility etc. 499.    brutality, brute force.    instinct, brute instinct, stimulus-response loop, conditioned response, instinctive reaction, Pavlovian response.    mimicry, aping (imitation) 19.    moron, imbecile, idiot; fool etc. 501; dumb animal; vegetable, brain dead.    ... show more

Dutch: achterlijke, debiel, druif, dwaas, gek, halvezool, idioot, imbeciel, kwibus, lijp, lijpo, mafkees, mafketel, mafkikker, malloot, nar, piechem, zot ... show more
Polish: głup, głupiec, głupol, głuptak

A person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of.

synonyms: chump, fall guy, gull, mark, mug, patsy, soft touch, sucker.

Roget 547: dupe, gull, gudgeon, gobemouche^†, cull [Slang], cully^†, victim, pigeon, April fool^†; jay [Slang], sucker [Slang]; laughingstock etc. 857; Cyclops, simple Simon, flat; greenhorn; fool etc. 501; puppet, cat's paw.    ... show more

Dutch: sul, dwaas, meeuw, achterlijke, idioot, sukkel, goedzak, lobbes

A professional clown employed to entertain a king or nobleman in the Middle Ages.

synonyms: jester, motley fool.

Roget 844: humorist, wag, wit, reparteeist^†, epigrammatist, punster; bel esprit, life of the party; wit-snapper, wit-cracker, wit-worm; joker, jester, Joe Miller^†, drole de corps^†, gaillard^†, spark; bon diable [Fr.]; practical joker.    buffoon, farceur [Fr.], merry-andrew, mime, tumbler, acrobat, mountebank, charlatan, posturemaster^†, harlequin, punch, pulcinella^†, scaramouch^†, clown; wearer of the cap and bells, wearer of the motley; motley fool; pantaloon, gypsy; jack-pudding, jack in the green, jack a dandy; wiseacre, wise guy, smartass [Coll.]; fool etc. 501.    zany, madcap; pickle-herring, witling^†, caricaturist, grimacier^†; persifleur^†.    ... show more

Dutch: nar
Polish: błazen, trefniś, wesołek

Make a fool or dupe of.

synonyms: befool, gull.

Roget 929: hold in disrespect etc. (despise) 930; misprize, disregard, slight, trifle with, set at naught, pass by, push aside, overlook, turn one's back upon, laugh in one's sleeve; be disrespectful etc. adj., be discourteous etc. 895; treat with disrespect etc. n.; set down, put down, browbeat.    dishonor, desecrate; insult, affront, outrage.    speak slightingly of; disparage etc. (dispraise) 932; vilipend^†, vilify, call names; throw dirt, fling dirt; drag through the mud, point at, indulge in personalities; make mouths, make faces; bite the thumb; take by the beard; pluck by the beard; toss in a blanket, tar and feather.    have in derision; hold in derision; deride, scoff, barrack, sneer, laugh at, snigger, ridicule, gibe, mock, jeer, hiss, hoot, taunt, twit, niggle^†, gleek^†, gird, flout, fleer^†; roast, turn into ridicule; burlesque etc. 856; laugh to scorn etc. (contempt) 930; smoke; fool; make game of, make a fool of, make an April fool of^†; play a practical joke; lead one a dance, run the rig upon, have a fling at, scout; mob.    ... show more

Spend frivolously and unwisely.

synonyms: dissipate, fool away, fritter, fritter away, frivol away, shoot.

Dutch: verprutsen

Fool or hoax:
— You can't fool me!.

synonyms: befool, cod, dupe, gull, put on, put one across, put one over, slang, take in.

Roget 545: deceive, take in; defraud, cheat, jockey, do, cozen, diddle, nab, chouse, play one false, bilk, cully^†, jilt, bite, pluck, swindle, victimize; abuse; mystify; blind one's eyes; blindfold, hoodwink; throw dust into the eyes; dupe, gull, hoax, fool, befool^†, bamboozle, flimflam, hornswoggle; trick.    impose upon, practice upon, play upon, put upon, palm off on, palm upon, foist upon; snatch a verdict; bluff off, bluff; bunko, four flush [Slang], gum [U.S.], spoof [Slang], stuff (a ballot box) [U.S.].    circumvent, overreach; outreach, out wit, out maneuver; steal a march upon, give the go-by, to leave in the lurch decoy, waylay, lure, beguile, delude, inveigle; entrap, intrap^†, ensnare; nick, springe^†; set a trap, lay a trap, lay a snare for; bait the hook, forelay^†, spread the toils, lime; trapan^†, trepan; kidnap; let in, hook in; nousle^†, nousel^†; blind a trail; enmesh, immesh^†; shanghai; catch, catch in a trap; sniggle, entangle, illaqueate^†, hocus, escamoter^†, practice on one's credulity; hum, humbug; gammon, stuff up [Slang], sell; play a trick upon one, play a practical joke upon one, put something over on one, put one over on; balk, trip up, throw a tub to a whale; fool to the top of one's bent, send on a fool's errand; make game, make a fool of, make an April fool of^†, make an ass of; trifle with, cajole, flatter; come over etc. (influence) 615; gild the pill, make things pleasant, divert, put a good face upon; dissemble etc. 544.    cog, cog the dice, load the dice, stack the deck; live by one's wits, play at hide and seek; obtain money under false pretenses etc. (steal) 791; conjure, juggle, practice chicanery; deacon [U.S.].    play off, palm off, foist off, fob-off.    lie etc. 544; misinform etc. 538; mislead etc. (error) 495; betray etc. 940; be deceived etc. 547.    ... show more

Dutch: bedotten, beetnemen, foppen, inlappen

Indulge in horseplay:
— The bored children were fooling about.

synonyms: arse around, fool around, horse around.