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Definitions

silly

[sil-ee] / ˈsɪl i /
ADJECTIVE
absurd, giddy, foolish
Synonyms
STRONGEST
childish crazy frivolous idiotic inappropriate irresponsible ludicrous nonsensical pointless preposterous ridiculous simple stupid
STRONG
empty irrational
WEAK
asinine balmy brainless dippy dizzy empty-headed fatuous featherbrained flighty foolhardy harebrained ignorant illogical immature imprudent inane inconsistent meaningless muddle-headed nitwitted puerile senseless sheepheaded simpleminded unintelligent unreasonable unwise vacuous witless
Antonyms
STRONGEST
intelligent mature reasonable responsible sensible serious smart wise
WEAK
practical

Usage

What are other ways to say silly? Silly denotes extreme and conspicuous foolishness; it may also refer to pointlessness of jokes, remarks, etc.: silly and senseless behavior; a perfectly silly statement. Inane applies to silliness that is notably lacking in content, sense, or point: inane questions that leave one with no reply. Foolish implies a lack of common sense or good judgment or, sometimes, a weakness of mind: a foolish decision; The child seems foolish. Fatuous implies being not only foolish, dull, and vacant in mind, but complacent and highly self-satisfied as well: fatuous and self-important; fatuous answers. Stupid implies natural slowness or dullness of intellect, or, sometimes, a benumbed or dazed state of mind; it is also used to mean foolish or silly: He was rendered stupid by a blow; It is stupid to do such a thing. Asinine originally meant like an ass; it applies to witlessly stupid conversations or conduct and suggests a lack of social grace or perception: He failed to notice the reaction to his asinine remarks.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"It'd be silly to tell people, 'Yeah, don't worry about it. You're not his target,'" Nanos told NBC in an interview.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

It’s a little silly and corny, yes, but manages to vary the tempo and can even tug at one’s heartstrings by showing the bond between siblings.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

And it just seemed like we were so clearly making a bunch of choices, specifically not to let profit be the motivation, that it started to seem very silly that we weren’t just formalizing this.

From Slate • Mar. 22, 2026

The team used a silly and playful logo for “Buff Baby”—an image of a baby with raised arms, pressing tiny dumbbells, with a serious expression.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

We made up silly names for all the birds that came through: the Greater Eastern Yellow-bellied Pointy-beak, Queen Aurelia’s Peeping Cheepy-cheep.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.