silly

[ sil-ee ]

/ ˈsɪl i /

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See synonyms for: silly / sillies / silliness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, sil·li·er, sil·li·est.

weak-minded or lacking good sense; stupid or foolish: a silly writer.

absurd; ridiculous; irrational: a silly idea.

humorous and playful in a clownish, whimsical, or exaggerated way; showing unrestrained high spirits: With a few April Fools’ Day tricks, students have a respite from seriousness and get to just be silly and laugh.

stunned; dazed: He knocked me silly.

Cricket. (of a fielder or the fielder's playing position) extremely close to the batsman's wicket: silly mid off.

Archaic. rustic; plain; homely.

Archaic. weak; helpless.

Obsolete. lowly in rank or state; humble.

noun, plural sil·lies.

Informal. a silly or foolish person: Don't be such a silly.

OTHER WORDS FOR silly

1 witless, senseless, brainless, dense, dim, dull, dull-witted, dim-witted.

2 inane, asinine, nonsensical, preposterous.

See synonyms for silly on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR silly

1 sensible.

See antonyms for silly on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of silly

First recorded in 1375–1425; earlier sylie, sillie “foolish, feeble-minded, simple, pitiful”; late Middle English syly, variant of sely seely

OTHER WORDS FROM silly

sil·li·ly, adverbsil·li·ness, nounun·sil·ly, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use silly in a sentence

The idea that they would attempt to spin her nuanced response as politically calculating is even sillier.
How Wendy Davis Became America’s Conscience on Abortion|Keli Goff|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It would seem sillier still if you were pursuing a figure who has had one or two things to say about human dignity down the years.
Dylan’s Candor Gets Misconstrued as Hate Speech in France|Ian Bell|December 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In any case, this whole thing is just looking sillier and sillier.
More Details on IRS Approvals|Michael Tomasky|June 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But it's silly to say that he's not a conservative; and even sillier to contend that he doesn't have a future in the GOP.
Why the GOP Needs Bob McDonnells|Justin Green|April 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Yet 2012 has shaped up as one of the sillier and sleazier campaigns in recent times.
Good Candidates, Bad Election|David Frum|August 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
So the laughter of the party grew louder and sillier; the talk more foolish and random; the merriment more noisy and meaningless.
Eric, or Little by Little|Frederic W. Farrar
Really, I some times think that the older people get the sillier they are.
Wood Magic|Richard Jefferies
The things a girl likes are heaps sillier, retorted Christopher.
Letty and the Twins|Helen Sherman Griffith
He was thinner and sillier and more pointless than if he had been real and alive.
Twelve Stories and a Dream|H. G. Wells
And she was sillier, poor old darling; her laugh had in it at moments the tinkling, feeble foolishness of age.
The Shadow of Life|Anne Douglas Sedgwick

British Dictionary definitions for silly

silly

/ (ˈsɪlɪ) /

adjective -lier or -liest

lacking in good sense; absurd

frivolous, trivial, or superficial

feeble-minded

dazed, as from a blow

obsolete homely or humble

noun

(modifier) cricket (of a fielding position) near the batsman's wicketsilly mid-on

Also called: silly-billy plural -lies informal a foolish person

Derived forms of silly

silliness, noun

Word Origin for silly

C15 (in the sense: pitiable, hence the later senses: foolish): from Old English sǣlig (unattested) happy, from sǣl happiness; related to Gothic sēls good

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

silly

OTHER WORDS FOR silly

OPPOSITES FOR silly

Origin of silly

OTHER WORDS FROM silly

Words related to silly

How to use silly in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for silly

Derived forms of silly

Word Origin for silly