silly
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.
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.
Informal. a silly or foolish person: Don't be such a silly.
Origin of silly
1Other words for silly
1 | witless, senseless, brainless, dense, dim, dull, dull-witted, dim-witted |
2 | inane, asinine, nonsensical, preposterous |
Opposites for silly
Other words from silly
- sil·li·ly, adverb
- sil·li·ness, noun
- un·sil·ly, adjective
Words Nearby silly
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use silly in a sentence
Claiming that people with protruding ears were naturally weak-willed, for example, would seem plain silly.
Well, back in the early 1200s, the original sense of silly was “blessed” or, more accurately, “spiritually blessed.”
That may sound a bit silly, but often we’re in a culture where people think a scientist or mathematician has to be the crazy person locked up in a room working by ourselves.
Lack of diversity in his field has troubled this mathematician | Esther Landhuis | April 14, 2020 | Science News For StudentsSometimes my friends ask questions that they’re afraid are silly.
Weight lifting is this planetary scientist’s pastime | Bryn Nelson | March 10, 2020 | Science News For StudentsI suspect when we look back in 100 years, or maybe even 50 years, we’ll be astonished at how silly many of the ideas we currently hold near and dear to our hearts are actually wrong.
5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Ep. 334 Rebroadcast) | Stephen J. Dubner | January 9, 2020 | Freakonomics
Forget those silly “games played with the ball”; they are far “too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind.”
Aside from reaching an international audience, leaving Oz had another benefit—no more silly intrusions into her privacy.
It is loathed by some critics who find it patronizing, silly, and superficial.
'The Newsroom' Ended As It Began: Weird, Controversial, and Noble | Kevin Fallon | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo, happy 20th birthday to this proudly silly fashion classic.
Happy 20th Birthday, Liz Hurley’s Safety-Pin Dress | Tim Teeman | December 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was sexy, silly, and—in those relatively modest times—sensational.
Happy 20th Birthday, Liz Hurley’s Safety-Pin Dress | Tim Teeman | December 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf he would take her a little more seriously—it 's an immense pity he married her because she was silly!
Confidence | Henry JamesI wonder why wise men choose silly wives always, she added consciously, playing with the reins.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline | Jennie M. DrinkwaterI just sit there, knocked plumb silly, almost, and looked at a big rose in the carpet.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher | Eleanor GatesNot only good taste, but health is often sacrificed to the silly error of dressing in the extreme of fashion.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence HartleyThink of carelessly carrying a hundred dollars in a silly purse like that!
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. Morrison
British Dictionary definitions for silly
/ (ˈsɪlɪ) /
lacking in good sense; absurd
frivolous, trivial, or superficial
feeble-minded
dazed, as from a blow
obsolete homely or humble
(modifier) cricket (of a fielding position) near the batsman's wicket: silly mid-on
Also called: silly-billy plural -lies informal a foolish person
Origin of silly
1Derived forms of silly
- silliness, noun
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
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