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
Relevance
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
Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
In the first song on this more than 29-minute playlist, JJ and his friends don skeleton costumes and create a silly dance in the living room.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 17 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
Light, silly, and satirical, knowing your genre tropes makes for an even better viewing experience.
—Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
In the first song on this more than 29-minute playlist, JJ and his friends don skeleton costumes and create a silly dance in the living room.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for silly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silly
Adjective
-
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
-
Simpson has been sharp ever since that Week 1 loss at Florida State, which now looks even goofier.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But, God, to be able to play a Pablo Escobar who was just petty and wanted friends, there was something so stupid and so hilarious about that to me.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Keaton continued to play oddballs with a peculiar way of talking, though none were trivial or stupid.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Sketch ridiculous inventions, stage a mini talent show, or build something with whatever's at hand.—
Cas Holman,
CNBC,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Is anyone resisting this ridiculous trend?—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Wounded and bewildered, Theresa vows—silently—never to have that feeling again, never to be at anyone else’s mercy.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
-
As Friday’s stabbing incident involving NFL alum Mark Sanchez slowly comes into focus, the team at Fox Sports seems to be just as bewildered as the rest of us.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
5 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
-
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
-
Others just get giddy having a green light to upend society’s rules of decorum, even for a short window of time.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Misiorowski had made Edman look foolish in their first matchup, getting the infielder to swing through a wicked curveball.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Orús and Lizaso believe that the AI arms race is foolish.—
Vivienne Walt,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This would be an absurd show of force, and totally uncalled for during a government shutdown when members of the military cannot even get a paycheck.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Knightley and Pearce coast and their characters never come alive and resort to doing silly things at this misfire’s absurd, regrettable finale.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Silly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silly. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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