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Foolish vs Maudlin - What's the difference?

foolish | maudlin |

As adjectives the difference between foolish and maudlin

is that foolish is lacking good sense or judgement; unwise while maudlin is affectionate or sentimental in an effusive, tearful, or foolish manner, especially because of drunkenness.

As a noun maudlin is

the Magdalene; Mary Magdalene.

foolish

English

Adjective

(en-adj)
  • Lacking good sense or judgement; unwise.
  • :
  • *
  • *:As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish , but I would not go out of my way to protest against it. My servant is, so far as I am concerned, welcome to as many votes as he can get. I would very gladly make mine over to him if I could.
  • Resembling or characteristic of a fool.
  • :
  • *(Aeschylus)
  • *:It is a profitable thing, if one is wise, to seem foolish .

    • Synonyms

    * absurd * idiotic * ridiculous * silly * unwise

    Antonyms

    * wise

    Derived terms

    * foolishness

    maudlin

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete, Christianity) The Magdalene; (Mary Magdalene).
  • * c. 1400 , (trans.), The Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ :
    • for alle they wor?chipden hir ?ouereynly / as worthy was / but ?pecially Mawdelayne / that wolde neuere departe fro hir.
  • * 1653 , (Nicholas Culpeper), The English Physician Enlarged , Folio Society 2007, p. 186:
    • Common Maudlin have somewhat long and narrow leaves, snipped about the edges.
  • (obsolete) A Magdalene house; a brothel.

    • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Affectionate or sentimental in an effusive, tearful, or foolish manner, especially because of drunkenness.
  • *around 1900 , O. Henry,
    • He was a drunkard, and had not known it. What he had fondly imagined was a pleasant exhilaration had been maudlin intoxication.
  • Extravagantly or excessively sentimental; mawkish, self-pitying.
  • *1961 ,
    • ''On the rebound one passes into tears and pathos. Maudlin tears. I almost prefer the moments of agony. These are at least clean and honest. But the bath of self-pity, the wallow, the loathsome sticky-sweet pleasure of indulging it — that disgusts me.
  • (obsolete) Tearful, lachrymose.

    • Anagrams

    *