ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Silly

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈsɪl.i/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Silly is an adjective meaning Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.

Meaning

Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.

More Meanings

  1. (now chiefly Scotland and Northern England, rare) Pitiful, inspiring compassion, particularly:
  2. (now rustic UK, rare) Simple, plain, particularly:
  3. Mentally simple, foolish, particularly:
  4. (cricket, of a fielding position) Very close to the batsman, facing the bowler; closer than short.
  5. (now regional or colloquial) Sillily: in a silly manner.
  6. (colloquial) A silly person.
  7. (chiefly Scotland, obsolete) Blessed, particularly:

Example Sentences

They were laughing at a silly joke.
The fire raging upon the silly Carcase.
This is the silliest stuffe, that euer I heard.
Carpenter now placed himself at silly-point for Grundy, who was playing very forward.

Word Forms

Synonyms for silly

Depending on context, synonyms include charming, frivolous, giddy, zany, pathetic, confused.

Antonyms for silly

Common opposites include pious.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include zany, ridiculous, wacky, frivolous, cockamamy, empty-headed.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.