silly

[ sil-ee ]

/ ˈsɪl i /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR silly 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.

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.

QUIZZES

Can You Remember Your Favorite Words Of The Day From March?

Even if you’re a habitué of Word of the Day, you haven’t seen our March words in these ways! Challenge yourself to our comprehensive quiz!

Question 1 of 15

What does "habitué" mean?

a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste.

a frequent or habitual visitor to a place.

a lazy person who stays in bed long after the usual time for arising.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of silly

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

SYNONYMS FOR silly

1 witless, senseless, dull-witted, dim-witted. See foolish.

2 inane, asinine, nonsensical, preposterous.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR silly ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR silly

1 sensible.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR silly ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM silly

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

Words nearby silly

sillery, silliman, sillimanite, sillitoe, sills, silly, silly billy, silly putty, silly season, silly-sider, sillyweed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for silliness

Yesterday, I wrote about the silliness of requiring a file clerk to have a college degree.
America’s New Mandarins|Megan McArdle|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
People are hurting, people died, and the time for silliness, debate, and procedural motions is over.
Jim McGreevey Says He’s Given Up Politics, Embraced a Simpler Life|Lloyd Grove|January 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Never mind that Bill Clinton remains living proof of the silliness of modern puritanism.
Exclusive: Paula Broadwell’s Emails Revealed|Michael Daly|November 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I could provide chapter and verse as to the silliness of energy independence.
Both Candidates Push Myth of Energy Independence|Robert Bryce|November 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST

“I think the silliness is part of the phenomenon,” Sokoloff tells The Daily Beast.
‘Sherlock’ Star Benedict Cumberbatch’s Polarizing ‘Cumberbitches’|Kevin Fallon|October 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Nothing—no pertness, no audacity, no silliness, no affectation—could impair the extraordinary charm.
Leonora|Arnold Bennett
What are all these receptions but one maze of dissipation, where everybody seems to outdo the other in silliness?
By Force of Impulse|Harry V. Vogt
If you insist on making women ignorant and silly, be sure their ignorance and silliness will crop out.
A New Atmosphere|Gail Hamilton
Why, there ain't anything else in all this big world that anywhere near comes up to it for silliness.
Three People|Pansy
You aint so unprofessional as to remember all that silliness against me, are you?
Ainslee's, Vol. 15, No. 5, June 1905|Various

British Dictionary definitions for silliness

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

adjective, sil·li·er, sil·li·est.

noun, plural sil·lies.

QUIZZES

Origin of silly

SYNONYMS FOR silly

ANTONYMS FOR silly

OTHER WORDS FROM silly

Words nearby silly

Words related to silliness

Example sentences from the Web for silliness

British Dictionary definitions for silliness

adjective -lier or -liest

noun

Derived forms of silly

Word Origin for silly