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Definition of "silly" []

  • Exhibiting a lack of wisdom or good sense; foolish. See Synonyms at foolish. (adjective)
  • Lacking seriousness or responsibleness; frivolous: indulged in silly word play; silly pet names for each other. (adjective)
  • Semiconscious; dazed: knocked silly by the impact. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "silly" in a sentence
  • "The term "silly season," in Washington, usually refers to the August congressional vacation... oh, excuse me, "district work period.""
  • "In fact, even science has justified the term "silly season", with a US professor citing a cocktail of serotonin, cortisol, and dopamine - from all that sugary food and close family time - as the reason we feel less inhibited and highly strung around Christmas."
  • "The dialogue must have only been written to provide difficulty for whoever had to speak it – Pak's moving story about the first AC on Carpathia who the writers named Tigger-99, a name silly enough to diffuse any seriousness the tale held."