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.
They say: ‘This is what we have heard, that you guys are not going to be around because of this debt,’ which is just silliness.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
It seemed likely that the prosecution would ease up in person, recognizing the silliness of it all.
From Slate • May 4, 2026
The same sort of silliness repeated a few years ago when companies started stuffing references to cryptocurrency into their corporate names.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
"Extra time was looking likely, but one moment of madness, indiscipline and silliness has cost Real the chance of getting to the last four," he added.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
Sherrie wanted to talk about the disposition of certain funds, but John kept joking with her, stalling her with odd cracks and silliness.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
