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.

My mother-in-law wasn’t one for raunch; she probably just thought the onesie was silly and cute.

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026

As with his “Transformers” spin-off “Bumblebee,” he makes movies like a child who loves taking his action figures out of the box and giving them a silly soul.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

At that time, I found this subculture fascinating, peculiar, sometimes repulsive and sometimes silly.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026

“It’s silly to go to these lengths and damage the environment for no quantified risk,” said Grant Smith, the managing director of the Sharklife Conservation Group in Sodwana Bay, South Africa.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 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

silly

Usage

Example Sentences

Related Words