Meaning
madness, folly, insanity
- madness, insanity, craziness, rampage, spree
- folly, foolishness, absurdity
- fool's errand
In a sentence
Guidare così veloce in città è una follia.
Driving that fast in the city is madness.
Hai speso tutto per quel telefono? Che follia!
Did you spend everything on that phone? How crazy!
Non è follia, è solo una cattiva idea.
It’s not madness, it’s just a bad idea.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| follia | feminine · singular |
| follie | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use follia for both mental instability and reckless absurdity; pazzia is often more colloquial and emotional in everyday speech.
- In idioms, Italian often uses article plus di: una follia, che follia!, da follia. Don't omit the article like in English.
- For prices or quantities, follia commonly means 'outrageous excess': Costa una follia = It costs a crazy amount.