silliness

American  

[sil-ee-nis] / ˈsɪl i nɪs /

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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

silly ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

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

The magic of this “Salome” is its transcendence of silliness into acceptance.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s an underlying tension in the show because it walks a line between silliness and graveness.

From Los Angeles Times

Pierson notes that the songs were more "linear and traditional" than the scattergun silliness of their earlier work.

From BBC

Despite the silliness, many scientists appreciate the Ig Nobels.

From Barron's

Related Words

• absurdity
• craziness
• foolishness
• goofiness
• stupidity