silly [sil-ee] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin adjective, sil·li·er, sil·li·est.
- weak-minded or lacking good sense; stupid or foolish: a silly writer.
- absurd; ridiculous; irrational: a silly idea.
- stunned; dazed: He knocked me silly.
- Cricket. (of a fielder or the fielder’s playing position) extremely close to the batsman’s wicket: silly mid off.
- Archaic. rustic; plain; homely.
- Archaic. weak; helpless.
- Obsolete. lowly in rank or state; humble.
noun, plural sil·lies.
- Informal. a silly or foolish person: Don’t be such a silly.
Origin of silly 1375–1425; earlier sylie, sillie foolish, feeble-minded, simple, pitiful; late Middle English syly, variant of sely seely Related formssil·li·ly, adverbsil·li·ness, nounun·sil·ly, adjectiveSynonyms for silly 1. witless, senseless, dull-witted, dim-witted. See foolish. 2. inane, asinine, nonsensical, preposterous.Antonyms for silly 1. sensible. Related Words for sillier crazy, stupid, inappropriate, simple, nonsensical, childish, ludicrous, idiotic, preposterous, ridiculous, pointless, irresponsible, frivolous, irrational, empty, asinine, balmy, brainless, dizzy, empty-headed Examples from the Web for sillier Contemporary Examples of sillier
In any case, this whole thing is just looking sillier and sillier.
Michael Tomasky
June 12, 2013
Yet 2012 has shaped up as one of the sillier and sleazier campaigns in recent times.
David Frum
August 8, 2012
Boehner may have an envy problem, and, if so, it is making him sillier and sweatier by the week.
John Batchelor
September 2, 2010
Historical Examples of sillier
“But it must be sillier than usual,” said Harriet, and her voice began to quaver.
E. M. Forster
And did you ever come across a sillier tribe of people than these same rhapsodists?
Xenophon
“The bigger a man is the sillier he is,” she said, still laughing.
Opie Read
The guests were disgusted with the silly child, and sillier mother.
Amy Brooks
Really, I some times think that the older people get the sillier they are.
Richard Jefferies
British Dictionary definitions for sillier silly adjective -lier or -liest
- lacking in good sense; absurd
- frivolous, trivial, or superficial
- feeble-minded
- dazed, as from a blow
- obsolete homely or humble
noun
- (modifier) cricket (of a fielding position) near the batsman’s wicketsilly mid-on
- Also called: silly-billy plural -lies informal a foolish person
Derived Formssilliness, nounWord Origin for silly C15 (in the sense: pitiable, hence the later senses: foolish): from Old English sǣlig (unattested) happy, from sǣl happiness; related to Gothic sēls good Word Origin and History for sillier silly adj.
Old English gesælig “happy, fortuitous, prosperous” (related to sæl “happiness”), from Proto-Germanic *sæligas (cf. Old Norse sæll “happy,” Old Saxon salig, Middle Dutch salich, Old High German salig, German selig “blessed, happy, blissful,” Gothic sels “good, kindhearted”), from PIE *sele- “of good mood; to favor,” from root *sel- (2) “happy, of good mood; to favor” (cf. Latin solari “to comfort,” Greek hilaros “cheerful, gay, merry, joyous”).
This is one of the few instances in which an original long e (ee) has become shortened to i. The same change occurs in breeches, and in the American pronunciation of been, with no change in spelling. [Century Dictionary]
The word’s considerable sense development moved from “happy” to “blessed” to “pious,” to “innocent” (c.1200), to “harmless,” to “pitiable” (late 13c.), “weak” (c.1300), to “feeble in mind, lacking in reason, foolish” (1570s). Further tendency toward “stunned, dazed as by a blow” (1886) in knocked silly, etc. Silly season in journalism slang is from 1861 (August and September, when newspapers compensate for a lack of hard news by filling up with trivial stories). Silly Putty trademark claims use from July 1949.