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.

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Etymology

Origin of silliness

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

silliness

On the literal opposite end of the spectrum is “Nirvanna the Band the Show,” which ran on Viceland back in 2017 and just dropped two seasons’ worth of silliness.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

It seemed likely that the prosecution would ease up in person, recognizing the silliness of it all.

From Slate ● May 4, 2026

"Being able to find truth through silliness and silliness through truth... is amazing, because Shakespeare can feel intimidating," she said.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 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

At the last, the two of them were laughing so loudly they were almost paralyzed by their own silliness.

From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen

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Related Words

• absurdity
• craziness
• foolishness
• goofiness
• stupidity

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