sillier; silliest
1
2
: being stunned or dazed
scared silly
knocked me silly
3
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
Charles Isherwood
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
D. H. Lawrence"Well then, silly, why not stay!"—Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber"And who, then? Oh, the long line of sillies, light-weights, rakes, ne'er-do-wells, who … constituted society."—Theodore Dreiser
Theodore DreiserWhen the narrator describes women directly they seem … innately either sentimental sillies … or … pious hypocrites.—Myra Jehlen
Myra JehlenSynonyms
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 WebDaniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
On top of the classic party elements, some of which are seen in her silly dancing clip, Garner likes to have a charitable element to her special day.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
On the 18th hole, which often requires players to leave the ball short of a bunker or play a fade to completely avoid it, Lamprecht decided all that was silly.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 2024
But don't be silly, folks – play it safe and wear protective eyewear.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
But, on the flip side, celebs allowed their silly, goofy moods to shine through in makeup-less selfies, too.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024
Both women also shared photos with Rolling Stone of themselves with Nelson in years past, showing Nelson evidently living the life of the average American teenager: hanging out at the mall, going bowling, using makeup, dressing in costumes, and taking silly selfies with Snapchat filters.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Ryan has three older sisters, Christina, Kayla and Taylor, who all miss Ryan and his silly pranks dearly.
—Anna Turning, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Marie: Sondheim gives you so much room to just be silly and have an imagination.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
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
Adjective
However expansive or limited your perspective, and however expansive or limited O’Brien’s perspective, Conan O’Brien Must Go is a very silly and occasionally illuminating series that’s still finding its rhythms and its comic voice as the fourth episode concludes.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
On top of the classic party elements, some of which are seen in her silly dancing clip, Garner likes to have a charitable element to her special day.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
On the 18th hole, which often requires players to leave the ball short of a bunker or play a fade to completely avoid it, Lamprecht decided all that was silly.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 2024
But don't be silly, folks – play it safe and wear protective eyewear.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
But, on the flip side, celebs allowed their silly, goofy moods to shine through in makeup-less selfies, too.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024
Both women also shared photos with Rolling Stone of themselves with Nelson in years past, showing Nelson evidently living the life of the average American teenager: hanging out at the mall, going bowling, using makeup, dressing in costumes, and taking silly selfies with Snapchat filters.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Ryan has three older sisters, Christina, Kayla and Taylor, who all miss Ryan and his silly pranks dearly.
—Anna Turning, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Marie: Sondheim gives you so much room to just be silly and have an imagination.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near silly
Cite this Entry
“Silly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silly. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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