What does "silly" mean?
A silly person.
Silly
/ˈsɪl.i/ adj, adv, noun, slang
adj, adv, noun, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A silly person.
- Grammar: silly is listed as adj, adv, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: absurd, absurd, act foolish, airheaded.
- Useful contrasts: pious, appropriate, approval.
- Usage evidence: I need to ask you a silly question.
How to use "silly"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "silly" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "silly" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "silly" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "silly" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "silly" is acting as adj, adv, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "absurd" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "silly", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A silly person. colloquial
"While they, poor sillies, bid good night, O' love an' bogles eerie."
- 2 a word used for misbehaving children wordnet
- 3 A term of address. endearing
"‘Come on, silly,’ said Nannie."
- 4 A mistake. colloquial
Adjective
- 1 Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.
"They were laughing at a silly joke."
- 2 Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.; Absurdly large.
"He cannot achieve celebrity by covering himself with diamonds... or by giving a silly price for a hack."
- 3 Blessed; Good; pious. Scotland, obsolete
"The sylyman lay and herde, / And hys wyf answerd."
- 4 Blessed; Holy. Scotland, obsolete
"... thrie Saturdayes befor Lambas and thrie efter called the six silie Saturdayes."
- 5 Pitiful, inspiring compassion, particularly Northern-England, Scotland, rare
"The fire raging upon the silly Carcase."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 Pitiful, inspiring compassion; Innocent; suffering undeservedly, especially as an epithet of lambs and sheep. Northern-England, Scotland, literary, rare
"There is no best in þe word, I wene... / That suffuris halfe so myche tene / As doth þe sylly wat."
- 7 Pitiful, inspiring compassion; Helpless, defenseless. Northern-England, Scotland, literary, rare
"scared silly"
- 8 Pitiful, inspiring compassion; Insignificant, worthless, (chiefly Scotland) especially with regard to land quality. Northern-England, Scotland, rare
"Ane sillie scheill vnder ane erdfast stane"
- 9 Pitiful, inspiring compassion; Weak, frail; flimsy (use concerning people and animals is now obsolete). Northern-England, Scotland, rare
"Here we see that a smal sillie Bird knoweth how to match with so great a Beast."
- 10 Pitiful, inspiring compassion; Sickly; feeble; infirm. Northern-England, Scotland, rare
"To doe the thing we can / To please... / This silly sickly man."
- 11 Simple, plain; Rustic, homely. rare
"Dauid had no more but a sylie slynge, and a few stones."
- 12 Simple, plain; Lowly, of humble station. obsolete, rare
"The silly herdman all astonnied standes."
- 13 Mentally simple, foolish; Rustic, uneducated, unlearned. obsolete
"From Hell (of which the silly people of the Country think the top of this hill to be the mouth)."
- 14 Mentally simple, foolish; Thoughtless, lacking judgment.
"silly mistake"
- 15 Mentally simple, foolish; mentally delayed or feeble. Scotland
"Fow ȝellow ȝellow wes hir heid bot scho of lufe wes sillie."
- 16 Mentally simple, foolish; Stupefied, senseless; stunned or dazed.
"You say you were knocked silly—was that so?"
- 17 Very close to the batsman, facing the bowler; closer than short.
"Carpenter now placed himself at silly-point for Grundy, who was playing very forward."
Adjective
- 1 dazed from or as if from repeated blows wordnet
- 2 inspiring scornful pity wordnet
- 3 lacking seriousness; given to frivolity wordnet
- 4 ludicrous, foolish wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Sillily: in a silly manner. colloquial, regional
"If you did but see how silly a Man fumbles for an Excuse, when he's a little asham'd of being in Love."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I need to ask you a silly question."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "silly"?
Common synonyms include: absurd, absurd, act foolish, airheaded, airy, also see thesaurus:foolish.
How do you use "silly" in a sentence?
I need to ask you a silly question.
How do you pronounce "silly"?
Pronounced /ˈsɪl.i/.
Etymology
From Middle English seely, sēlī, from Old English sǣliġ, ġesǣliġ (“lucky, fortunate”), from Proto-West Germanic *sālīg, from *sāli; equivalent to seel (“happiness, bliss”) + -y. Doublet of Seelie. The semantic evolution is “lucky” to “innocent” to “naive” to “foolish”. Compare the similar evolution of daft (originally meaning “accommodating”), and almost the reverse with nice (originally meaning “ignorant”).