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
"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
Random observations on the silliness of all the action—“That monkey just used his cuteness for crime!”—are about as close as we get to humor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
A bit of an adventure, they said, an expedition, silliness.
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
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.
