1
as in goofy
lacking in seriousness or maturity
the matinee show was filled with a bunch of silly children making noise
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
those silly movie producers who thought that audiences would fall for that gimmick all over again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter
had the silly notion that her latest marriage might last longer than her three previous ones
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion
stunning news that knocked me silly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in simpleton
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of silly
Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 3 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, at the Governors Ball, Best Supporting Actor winner Kieran Culkin shared a kiss with his wife Jazz Charton.
Ahead, see the silliest, wildest and starriest photos from all the Oscar afterparties.
—Brendan Le, People.com, 3 Mar. 2025
Ego Nwodim, TIME, 12 Feb. 2025
Some more sillies from last night’s GRAMMY nominees reception.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for silly
Adjective
Your conversation partner might proceed to talk to you about something trivial — the weather outside, the latest game, an annoyance during the morning commute or something silly the person’s dog did that morning.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 3 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, at the Governors Ball, Best Supporting Actor winner Kieran Culkin shared a kiss with his wife Jazz Charton.
Ahead, see the silliest, wildest and starriest photos from all the Oscar afterparties.
—Brendan Le, People.com, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
It was shot in portrait because it was shot in Instagram by and for a woman who was losing her mind in quarantine and had fully let the sillies take the wheel.
—Ego Nwodim, TIME, 12 Feb. 2025
Some more sillies from last night’s GRAMMY nominees reception.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for silly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silly
Adjective
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Plus, he’s got a natural and serious relationship to rap that makes even his goofiest songs really earnest.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2025
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At one point, his girlfriend (played by Heidi Gardner) coaches him into posing using increasingly goofy directions, and Gillis delivers.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Thank you Hallie for thinking of me and putting my name in your stupid brother's ear.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
24 Feb. 2025
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That would have been a stupid question just about anywhere else, but the exhibition was by Laura Owens, a painter with a penchant for trickery, and the venue was Matthew Marks Gallery in New York, whose press release for Owens’s latest outing offered little in the way of explanation.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Ever since its first season in Maui, Mike White’s Emmy-winning Max series has poked not-so-subtle fun at the ridiculous expectations and bizarre social customs of the rich on vacation.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
4 Mar. 2025
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With its heightened dramas, overdone Die Hard references, and ridiculous plot turns, Paradise is pretty preposterous yet asks us to consider it as a sophisticated prestige drama.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Alani, a French journalist, paints a haunting picture of modern Iraq through the eyes of its bewildered children.—
Lisa Anderson,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
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The snap captures Bailey a bewildered expression on her face.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Gamble, seeing there was no way to get anywhere with the chancellor playing the simpleton, opened the floor to softball questions.—
Thomas Meaney,
Harper's Magazine,
26 Apr. 2024
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Americans, even or especially historians, tend to treat the early New Englanders as dogmatists: narrow, pious simpletons.—
Marilynne Robinson,
Harper's Magazine,
1 July 2022
Adjective
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The walls were giddy with patterned paper and hung with vintage portraits of busty women.—
Julie Lasky,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
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As for the Democrats, their marching in defense of a regime change tool that Trump's base is giddy to destroy is extraordinary, but unsurprising.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Peter, though revered as an apostle worthy of veneration, is also portrayed in the Gospels as prone to mistakes, often foolish, and sometimes outright contradictory to God’s will.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
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The notion that women should be flawless multitaskers, managing a perfect home and career while never showing vulnerability or weakness is not only unrealistic, but also foolish.—
Nicole Lipkin,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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With his absurd hair and larger-than-life persona, Trump is a walking meme.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
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And next year, and for years to come, through trauma and joy, this seemingly absurd ritual is going to be here.—
Edward Segarra,
USA TODAY,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Silly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silly. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
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