il folle
crazy
Persona o comportamento che manca di ragione o che agisce in modo molto strano o irrazionale.
Definition & meaning
Folle has several meanings:
- As an adjective, it means mad, insane, or crazy. It can describe a person, an idea, or an action, and may be used literally or figuratively.
- As a noun, un folle means a madman or a crazy person.
- Folle is also the plural of folla , meaning crowds.
Grammar & Word origin
As an adjective, folle has the same form for masculine and feminine singular nouns. Its plural is folli . The noun meaning “mad person” follows the same pattern.
It comes from Latin follis, originally meaning “bellows” or “inflated bag,” which later developed a figurative sense associated with foolishness.
The separate noun folla , “crowd,” comes through French foule.
Synonyms & antonyms
For the adjective:
- pazzo — “crazy” or “mad”; common and often more informal.
- insensato — “senseless” or “unreasonable”; usually describes an action or idea.
- saggio — “wise”; an opposite when folle means reckless or foolish.
- ragionevole — “reasonable”; an opposite when describing a decision or idea.
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
Che idea folle hai avuto ieri!adjective
What a crazy idea you had yesterday!
Era un sogno folle ma pieno di speranza.adjective
It was a crazy dream but full of hope.
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