1
as in insanity
lack of good sense or judgment
she was both amused and irritated by the silliness of his comments regarding the movie they has just seen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
stop this silliness at once!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lightness
a lack of seriousness often at an improper time
this inability to refrain from silliness is a distressing sign of professional immaturity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of silliness
There is plenty of silliness in this year’s commercials.
—
Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
The silliness betrays the seriousness.
—J. Aaron Sanders, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
Interested in an ode to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and silliness?
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
December 22 – January 19 The stars are calling for some silliness!
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
Reporters laughed at the silliness without bitterness.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
But the adults who accompany them may also benefit from the unrelenting silliness.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026
The unabashed silliness of the plot does little to dilute the entertainment value of director Juan Piquer Simón's sleazy, cheesy fever dream.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
His new film, Send Help, however, is a welcome throwback to his roots—a horror-comedy full of spirited, violent silliness.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
The silliness betrays the seriousness.
—J. Aaron Sanders, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
Interested in an ode to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and silliness?
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
December 22 – January 19 The stars are calling for some silliness!
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
Reporters laughed at the silliness without bitterness.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
But the adults who accompany them may also benefit from the unrelenting silliness.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026
The unabashed silliness of the plot does little to dilute the entertainment value of director Juan Piquer Simón's sleazy, cheesy fever dream.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
His new film, Send Help, however, is a welcome throwback to his roots—a horror-comedy full of spirited, violent silliness.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silliness
Noun
-
Repeal this insanity and restore order to our streets!—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Defense attorneys hoped to convince the jury that Gacy was not guilty by reason of insanity.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Hillary Busis considers this celestial nonsense.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
-
And someone please tell the FBI and the DOJ to get to work on real crime, rather than the political nonsense.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Rather than allowing its typical lightness, Benning layers their brushstrokes purposefully so as to establish new kinds of relationships, both pictorial and material.—
Alex Bacon,
Artforum,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Instead, there's a certain lightness to February's feels.—
Calin Van Paris,
InStyle,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Then, with many on the court at this point, Stewart came rushing off the Pistons’ bench to confront Bridges, throwing a punch as their altercation became the focal point of the madness on the hardwood.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The darker strands of the young Tennyson’s existence—madness, spurned love, ruinous genes, insolvency—would become the themes of a later poem that Holmes regards as pivotal.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Which is much worse than plain old stupidity.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Unlike its sibling concepts of dumbness and idiocy, stupidity isn’t really a personality trait.—
Jonny Thomson,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The director wiped away tears as she was welcomed to the stage at the Eccles with a standing ovation; the crowd continued to clap and cheer as the cast joined her with Tatum picking up his pint-sized co-star to swing her around with glee.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
When Huskies head coach Dan Hurley called a timeout, a sellout crowd of 19,812 erupted with deafening glee.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But as a walk down Main Street will prove to you, its simplicity is exactly what makes the town special.—
Megan Margulies,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 2026
-
By prioritizing safety, simplicity, and developer collaboration, Sprout represents a quieter but potentially more meaningful step forward in humanoid robotics.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Mediterranean diet has nuts, beans and fish as primary sources of protein, and MyPlate focuses on lean meats as well.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Avoid allergens While most multivitamin companies avoid using common allergens like soy, nuts and dairy, some share production facilities.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Silliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silliness. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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