Synonyms of silliness

silliness

noun

1

as in insanity

lack of good sense or judgment

she was both amused and irritated by the silliness of his comments regarding the movie they has just seen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• insanity
• madness
• simplicity
• absurdity
• craziness
• wackiness
• zaniness
• foolishness
• daftness
• fatuousness
• preposterousness
• inanity
• nuttiness
• unwisdom
• stupidness
• lunacy
• dottiness
• imbecility
• witlessness
• asininity
• brainlessness
• stupidity
• nonsensicalness
• folly
• idiocy
• fatuity
• senselessness
• balminess
• ridiculousness
• simpleness
• obtuseness
• slowness
• dullness
• dumbness
• irrationality
• mindlessness
• unreasonableness
• dippiness
• feeblemindedness
• dopiness
• simplemindedness
• oafishness
• denseness
• kookiness
• weirdness
• doltishness
• ludicrousness
• fallacy
• vacuity
• gormlessness
• dim-wittedness
• laughableness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wisdom
• sanity
• prudence
• sagacity
• soundness
• validity
• rationality
• reasonableness
• sapience
• sensibleness
• logicality
• reasonability
• insight
• perception
• sagaciousness
• discernment
• sageness
• logicalness
• rationalness
• percipience

2

as in nonsense

language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense

stop this silliness at once!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nonsense
• stupidity
• nuts
• garbage
• absurdity
• blah
• craziness
• rubbish
• drool
• absurdness
• foolishness
• insanity
• jazz
• muck
• madness
• bunk
• hokum
• twaddle
• claptrap
• balderdash
• guff
• piffle
• humbuggery
• hogwash
• trash
• baloney
• malarkey
• bunkum
• beans
• trumpery
• poppycock
• punk
• folderol
• rot
• blither
• flapdoodle
• hooey
• blather
• bilge
• tosh
• fudge
• fiddle
• idiocy
• tommyrot
• fiddlesticks
• folly
• bull
• drivel
• crock
• senselessness
• bosh
• blatherskite
• codswallop
• hokeypokey
• blarney
• crapola
• nerts
• kookiness
• humbug
• fiddle-faddle
• applesauce
• horsefeathers
• taradiddle
• inanity
• hoodoo
• tomfoolery
• moonshine
• lunacy
• flannel
• imbecility
• foolery
• asininity
• slush
• witlessness
• fatuity
• rigmarole
• inaneness
• gas
• greek
• monkey business
• hocus-pocus
• hot air
• shenanigan(s)
• double-talk
• hoity-toity
• monkeyshine(s)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rationality
• reasonableness
• sense
• common sense
• sensibleness
• reasonability
• levelheadedness
• wisdom
• judgment
• horse sense
• discernment

3

as in lightness

a lack of seriousness often at an improper time

this inability to refrain from silliness is a distressing sign of professional immaturity

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lightness
• glee
• cheerfulness
• frivolity
• levity
• flippancy
• frivolousness
• facetiousness
• cheer
• festivity
• goofiness
• childishness
• mirth
• hilarity
• flightiness
• lightheartedness
• joviality
• frothiness
• merriment
• light-headedness
• light-mindedness
• mirthfulness
• gaiety
• gleefulness
• puerility
• high-spiritedness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• seriousness
• gravity
• earnestness
• solemnity
• soberness
• sadness
• melancholy
• unhappiness
• gloom
• solemnness
• depression
• dejection
• sullenness
• gloominess
• moroseness
• despondency
• joylessness
• heartsickness
• dispiritedness
• downheartedness
• mopes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of silliness

Commentors, of course, had a mixed bag of reactions, ranging from arguing that Kelce is the Duchess of Delco to criticizing the governor's silliness. —Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026

Yet there’s wisdom amid the silliness, as the story gently makes a case for the necessity of grief, mindfulness and mortal awareness, even in a life otherwise unburdened by adult human responsibility. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026

Alex evolved into [having] a sort of comedic, Betty White-type of silliness. —Staff Author, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026

Time to stop the silliness with the opener and start him. —Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026

Levy and Taylor Ortega play disorganized siblings who get thrust into the world of organized crime, a departure from the world of Schitt’s Creek, but still maintains the silliness and fun of a Dan Levy show. —Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026

The zero gravity effects here work extremely well and there's a genuine good-naturedness on display that enhances the true silliness of the moment. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026

For all its potential silliness, real characters populate these bloody waters. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026

My mom’s silliness, her humanness, her imperfections seemed to disappear in the process of repeatedly writing about her struggles. —Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026