silliness
Americannoun
-
the quality of lacking good sense; foolishness.
The author pokes fun at herself and the general silliness of celebrity culture.
Her blog cuts through the contradictions, misinformation, and downright silliness out there about naturopathy.
-
absurdity, ridiculousness, or irrationality.
This “no-touch” policy occasionally devolves into silliness, as when a teacher hesitates to help a five-year-old zip up a jacket.
-
clownish, whimsical, or exaggerated humor and playfulness; unrestrained high spirits.
Our sessions included a lot of chatter, laughter, and silliness—exactly what sitting around a table playing games with friends is all about.
Etymology
Origin of silliness
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When Thoreau spews nonsense, such as men, “like the earth, revolve mainly from west to east, and so are flattened at the poles,” let’s call the silliness by its real name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
On the literal opposite end of the spectrum is “Nirvanna the Band the Show,” which ran on Viceland back in 2017 and just dropped two seasons’ worth of silliness.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
“Minions & Monsters” quickly becomes a tribute to cinema at large while still staying true to the signature silliness of his characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
It seemed likely that the prosecution would ease up in person, recognizing the silliness of it all.
From Slate ● May 4, 2026
It’s still with me for no reason but the silliness, for how it unpinned me just briefly from the more serious agenda that guided my every day.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
