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⇱ silly - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

silly

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈsɪli/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈsɪli/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(sil′ē)

Inflections of 'silly' (n): npl: sillies
Inflections of 'silly' (adj):
sillier
adj comparative
silliest
adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
sil•ly /ˈsɪli/USA pronunciation   adj., -li•er, -li•est, n., pl. -lies. 
adj. 
  1. lacking good sense;
    foolish:called him a silly young fool.
  2. absurd;
    ridiculous;
    nonsensical:filled with silly ideas.
  3. stunned;
    dazed:He knocked me silly.

n. [countable]
  1. Informal Termsa silly or foolish person.
sil•li•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
sil•ly  (sil′ē),USA pronunciation adj., -li•er, -li•est, n., pl. -lies. 
adj. 
  1. weak-minded or lacking good sense;
    stupid or foolish:a silly writer.
  2. absurd;
    ridiculous;
    irrational:a silly idea.
  3. stunned;
    dazed:He knocked me silly.
  4. [Cricket.](of a fielder or the fielder's playing position) extremely close to the batsman's wicket:silly mid off.
  5. [Archaic.]rustic;
    plain;
    homely.
  6. [Archaic.]weak;
    helpless.
  7. [Obs.]lowly in rank or state;
    humble.

n. 
  1. Informal Termsa silly or foolish person:Don't be such a silly.
  • 1375–1425; earlier sylie, sillie foolish, feeble-minded, simple, pitiful; late Middle English syly, variant of sely seely
sil′li•ly, adv. 
sil′li•ness, n. 
    1. witless, senseless, dull-witted, dim-witted. See foolish. 2. inane, asinine, nonsensical, preposterous.
    1. sensible.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
silly /ˈsɪlɪ/ adj ( -lier, -liest)
  1. lacking in good sense; absurd
  2. frivolous, trivial, or superficial
  3. dazed, as from a blow
 n
  1. (modifier) (of a fielding position) near the batter's wicket: silly mid-on
  2. Also called: silly-billy ( pl -lies) informal a foolish person
Etymology: 15th Century (in the sense: pitiable, hence the later senses: foolish): from Old English sǣlig (unattested) happy, from sǣl happiness; related to Gothic sēls goodˈsilliness n
'silly' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: don't be (so) silly, don't be silly I would love to [help, be there], silly and [naive, innocent], more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "silly" in the title:

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