silly

1 of 2

adjective

sil·​ly ˈsi-lē 

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

ˈsi-lə-lē 

adverb

silliness

ˈsi-lē-nəs 

noun

silliness

2 of 2

noun

sil·​li·​ness ˈsilēnə̇s 

-lin-

plural -es

1

: the quality or state of being silly

2

: a silly practice

Synonyms of silly

Adjective

• goofy
• giddy
• futile

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

Such a possibility seems silly but has still been bandied about in early trade-deadline discussions. —Chandler Rome, New York Times, 28 May 2026

To lose that would be silly now. —Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026

And yet the series ends on a (slightly silly) note of female empowerment. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026

Share a silly story with family to restore warmth, and remember that joy sharpens focus as well as spreadsheets. —Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2026

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

Noun

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing silly

• silly season
• wear a silly grin/smile on one's face

Rhymes for silly

• billie
• billy
• chilli
• chilly
• dilly
• filly
• frilly
• gillie
• gilly
• hilly
• lily
• philly

Kids Definition

silly

adjective

sil·​ly ˈsil-ē 

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

ˈsil-ē-nəs 

noun