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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
stop this silliness at once!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of silliness
Various clips are making the rounds on social media where Chiefs fans are enjoying seeing Jones’ latest silliness.
—
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
This time round, though, an unfortunate silliness sometimes creeps in, where the film risks tipping over Shakespearean-size emotions into embarrassing bathos.
—Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
The characters’ propensity for ugly faces, silliness and a bit of grossness too, stems from the portrayals of girlhood and young womanhood that appeal to them.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
As Mozart, Sam Clemmett is wonderful, carefully navigating the silliness and sullenness of a character who’s been drawn as part boy, part man.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Slater is a virtuosic physical actor, and his evocation of the mime’s precision, silliness, and grace—the elastic faces, the acrobatic tumbles, the fingers that bloom into flowers, then wilt, then bloom again — is painstaking and loving in its observance.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
There is plenty of silliness in this year’s commercials.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
The silliness betrays the seriousness.
—J. Aaron Sanders, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
Interested in an ode to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and silliness?
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
This time round, though, an unfortunate silliness sometimes creeps in, where the film risks tipping over Shakespearean-size emotions into embarrassing bathos.
—Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
The characters’ propensity for ugly faces, silliness and a bit of grossness too, stems from the portrayals of girlhood and young womanhood that appeal to them.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
As Mozart, Sam Clemmett is wonderful, carefully navigating the silliness and sullenness of a character who’s been drawn as part boy, part man.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Slater is a virtuosic physical actor, and his evocation of the mime’s precision, silliness, and grace—the elastic faces, the acrobatic tumbles, the fingers that bloom into flowers, then wilt, then bloom again — is painstaking and loving in its observance.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
There is plenty of silliness in this year’s commercials.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
The silliness betrays the seriousness.
—J. Aaron Sanders, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
Interested in an ode to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and silliness?
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silliness
Noun
-
Attached to it is a video of Andrea Yates, the real Texas woman who drowned her five children amid an episode of postpartum psychosis and was found not guilty by reason of insanity, per the New York Times.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
-
To punish her company is an act of insanity.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The whole tariff nonsense, the tariffs that were struck down by the Supreme Court, those tariffs rested on false claims by the president of the United States about economic emergency.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
4 Mar. 2026
-
And don’t give me the lacking pass protection nonsense.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This type of footwear brings a sense of lightness to any outfit and works especially well with granny shorts in light colors or soft prints, like a trendy polka-dot or floral design.—
René Chávez Esparza,
Glamour,
9 Mar. 2026
-
That may not sound like much in the modern age of Toyota Camrys having more than 300 horsepower, but the Seven makes up for it in lightness, weighing well under one ton.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Chiefs lost safety Bryan Cook to the Bengals in the early madness of the negotiating window Monday.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The two have been good friends ever since and Peterman knows exactly how to help her friend get through the planning and organizational madness that comes with planning a wedding.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Any who show up are declaring their indelible stupidity and misogyny.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Feb. 2026
-
As to the famous fine line between stupid and clever, the stupidity and the cleverness are all but inextricable, and to the point.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert could not contain his glee.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The former Nuggets guard danced around Ball Arena with glee throughout a 6-for-7 shooting game and was even bold enough to confront 7-footer Jonas Valanciunas after taking exception to a foul.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Something about the simplicity of that, coupled with the canyon’s display of deep time, reminded me how small and temporary my own existence was, and therefore how precious.—
Rosecrans Baldwin,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Some approaches to astrophotography emphasize simplicity and portability, while others reward patience and precision.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The devices, Tisch said at a Saturday news conference, were smaller than a football and appeared to be a jar wrapped in black tape that contained nuts, bolts, and screws, along with a hobby fuse that could be lit.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The devices were wrapped in black tape with nuts, bolts and screws, as well as a fuse.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Silliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silliness. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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