silly

1 of 3

adjective

sil·​ly ˈsi-lē How to pronounce silly (audio)
sillier; silliest
1
a
: exhibiting or indicative of a lack of common sense or sound judgment
a very silly mistake
b
: weak in intellect
acting like a silly fool
c
: playfully lighthearted and amusing
a silly sense of humor
d
: trifling, frivolous
a silly waste of time
2
: being stunned or dazed
scared silly
knocked me silly
3
a
archaic : rustic, plain
The silly buckets on the deck,/That had so long remained,/I dreamt that they were filled with dew;/And when I awoke, it rained.Samuel Taylor Coleridge
b
obsolete : lowly in station : humble
4
archaic : helpless, weak
sillily adverb
silliness noun

silly

2 of 3

adverb

1
informal : to an extreme degree
was scared silly
bored silly
2
: in a silly manner : in an absurd or ridiculous way
talking/behaving silly
Benny Hill just walked silly, period, usually at high speed, to the accompaniment of cheesy pop music …Charles Isherwood

silly

3 of 3

noun

plural sillies
: one who is silly : a foolish person
"But there," she told herself, "I am very likely a silly—meeting trouble half-way."D. H. Lawrence
"Well then, silly, why not stay!"Edna Ferber
"And who, then? Oh, the long line of sillies, light-weights, rakes, ne'er-do-wells, who … constituted society."Theodore Dreiser
When the narrator describes women directly they seem … innately either sentimental sillies … or … pious hypocrites.Myra Jehlen
Choose the Right Synonym for silly

simple, foolish, silly, fatuous, asinine mean actually or apparently deficient in intelligence.

simple implies a degree of intelligence inadequate to cope with anything complex or involving mental effort.

considered people simple who had trouble with computers

foolish implies the character of being or seeming unable to use judgment, discretion, or good sense.

foolish stunts

silly suggests failure to act as a rational being especially by ridiculous behavior.

the silly antics of revelers

fatuous implies foolishness, inanity, and disregard of reality.

fatuous conspiracy theories

asinine suggests utter and contemptible failure to use normal rationality or perception.

an asinine plot

Examples of silly in a Sentence

Adjective I hope I didn't make any silly mistakes. The idea does seem a bit silly. That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. You drove in this weather? What a silly thing to do! Silly me. I locked myself out of the car again. Ask a silly question, and you get a silly answer. “I can't ask you to do that.” “Don't be silly. It is my pleasure.” What a silly little purse. It looks too small to hold everything that I'd need to carry. I'm tired of watching silly movies. The book was a silly waste of time.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
What looked like a silly stunt, having the actor walk out naked to commemorate the streaker who raced across the Oscar stage a half-century ago, actually became a pretty clever silly stunt by wedding that to presenting best costume design. Brian Lowry, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 The set includes a can of web fluid—which is similar to silly string. Erica Puisis, Parents, 9 Mar. 2024 Why does this silly little thing get to here, and how? Jon Freeman, SPIN, 8 Mar. 2024 The group chats are usually pictures from set of, like, Mikey Day in a silly outfit or something. Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 And Van Ness, who uses they/he/she pronouns, is beloved for their silly quips and joyous, over-the-top personality. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Known for having a silly personality, Jacky will let out endless giggles if someone tickles her. The Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024 Often that overshadows the sillier, more whimsical elements of Holiday’s plotting. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Whereas Michael Myers paced calmly in a silly jumpsuit, Lewis bellyached in moody black outfits. Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
Adverb
Don’t be afraid of looking silly or being a beginner! Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 28 Jan. 2024 During hypnosis, the critical nature of the mind is bypassed and the subconscious mind is in a more suggestible state, hence why subjects act so silly and uninhibited on stage. Emily Latimer, Longreads, 25 Jan. 2024 Don't be afraid of looking silly or being a beginner! Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2024 The Tumbler, like everything else Ember makes, is a silly guilty pleasure of a device. David Pierce, The Verge, 14 Sep. 2023 Rocky also shared multiple other photos of the three posing for the cameras and acting silly in the mirror. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 1 June 2023 Any worker that’s going to throw a selfish, silly fit over something that keeps their bosses — that’s us — safe deserves the dismissal that’s coming their way. Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2021 Caring about something so silly felt good. Kate Knibbs, Wired, 22 Dec. 2020 On the other hand, silly dare ideas are bound to provide endless laughter while tightening your bond. Leah Campano, Seventeen, 23 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'silly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English sely, silly happy, innocent, pitiable, feeble, from Old English sǣlig, from sǣl happiness; akin to Old High German sālig happy

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Adverb

1731, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1560, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of silly was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near silly

Cite this Entry

“Silly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

silly

adjective
sil·​ly ˈsil-ē How to pronounce silly (audio)
sillier; silliest
1
: weak in mind : foolish
2
: not showing common sense or good judgment : absurd
a silly plan
3
: lacking in seriousness or importance
playing silly games
4
: being stunned or dazed
scared silly
silliness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on silly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!