silly

[ sil-ee ]
/ ˈsɪl i /

adjective, sil·li·er, sil·li·est.

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

SYNONYMS FOR silly

1 witless, senseless, dull-witted, dim-witted. See foolish.
2 inane, asinine, nonsensical, preposterous.

OTHER WORDS FROM silly

sil·li·ly, adverb sil·li·ness, noun un·sil·ly, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for silliness

British Dictionary definitions for silliness

silly
/ (ˈsɪlɪ) /

adjective -lier or -liest

noun

(modifier) cricket (of a fielding position) near the batsman's wicket silly mid-on
Also called: silly-billy plural -lies informal a foolish person

Derived forms of silly

silliness, noun

Word 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