1
as in goofy
lacking in seriousness or maturity
the matinee show was filled with a bunch of silly children making noise
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
those silly movie producers who thought that audiences would fall for that gimmick all over again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter
had the silly notion that her latest marriage might last longer than her three previous ones
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion
stunning news that knocked me silly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in simpleton
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of silly
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 17 Sep. 2025
It was shot in portrait because it was shot in Instagram by and for a woman who was losing her mind in quarantine and had fully let the sillies take the wheel.
—Ego Nwodim, TIME, 12 Feb. 2025
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
As Halloween approaches, homes around southeast Wisconsin are embracing all things spooky, supernatural and silly.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for silly
Adjective
But no, sillies: Bradley is white, famous and pretty — no jail time for her!
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 17 Sep. 2025
It was shot in portrait because it was shot in Instagram by and for a woman who was losing her mind in quarantine and had fully let the sillies take the wheel.
—Ego Nwodim, TIME, 12 Feb. 2025
Noun
The drama between them is no longer real and relatable, but contrived and silly.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
As Halloween approaches, homes around southeast Wisconsin are embracing all things spooky, supernatural and silly.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for silly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silly
Adjective
-
As Buffy’s bafoonish brother, Dave Sheridan played an unlikely killer (though Doofy ends up being far less goofy than originally expected).—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
-
The accompanying video, directed by Charlotte Rutherford, fittingly harkens back to videos of the same era, as Puth embarks on a goofy adventure through a pre-digital world filled with charming claymation figurines and old-school stop motion effects.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And that’s a stupid, dumb, mindless question.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Dessert Week is the stupidest week, at least conceptually.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In many ways, that scene kind of represents the entire show, or at least what our intention was with it, something ridiculous juxtaposed with something, hopefully, very real.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The idea that trading somehow held it back is ridiculous.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Sholder appeared in the documentary and seemed more bewildered about all of this than anything else.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The canine, clearly confused, stared up, visibly bewildered and waiting patiently for the affection to finally land.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Gamble, seeing there was no way to get anywhere with the chancellor playing the simpleton, opened the floor to softball questions.—
Thomas Meaney,
Harper's Magazine,
26 Apr. 2024
-
His competition was Forrest Gump, a feel-good studio drama that located America’s soul in a sweet simpleton played by Tom Hanks.—
Michael Schulman,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2023
Adjective
-
The day the album launched, 50 Cent reacted to the reference with a post on Instagram, giddy about being the only artist that got a shoutout on the entire ablum.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Apple’s stock is giddier than an 11-year-old who just strong-armed their parents into buying them a smartphone.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s what made the Gators’ decision to retain Napier especially foolish.—
Blake Toppmeyer,
USA TODAY,
30 Oct. 2025
-
This of course was foolish in light of the fact that trade deals are incredibly complicated and take a long time to finalize.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The accusation felt absurd, like calling a chihuahua a wolf.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
-
In the film, which Woo wrote and directed, Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and her little brother Elliot (Elias Janssen) journey into the wildly absurd landscape of their own dreams to ask the Sandman to grant them the perfect family.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Silly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silly. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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