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
Relevance
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
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of silly
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
Jack Nicholson liked to get up to some silly antics on the set of A Few Good Men, his costar Kevin Pollak said.
—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 June 2026
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
17 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for silly
Adjective
While the bus is stopped, Daniel takes his silly ass bowling alone, the ultimate loneliness shorthand.
—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
Jack Nicholson liked to get up to some silly antics on the set of A Few Good Men, his costar Kevin Pollak said.
—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 June 2026
Noun
But no, sillies: Bradley is white, famous and pretty — no jail time for her!
—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
17 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for silly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silly
Adjective
-
Margaret, what the president said is just goofy word salad.
-
As Buffy’s bafoonish brother, Dave Sheridan played an unlikely killer (though Doofy GIlmore ends up being far less goofy than originally expected).
Adjective
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And no, that was NOT OutKick or FOX who wrote that stupid headline.
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The thing about House of the Dragon is that everything really is quite stupid.
Adjective
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Houssem Aouar finally spied a gap in the Austrian defence and sent Mahrez through to score, sparking jubilation before Sasa Kalajdzic’s header confirmed a ridiculous ending to a game that was dramatic, bleak and then dramatic again.
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This laptop can absolutely handle a ridiculous number of tabs.
Adjective
-
Fido was fine, if a little bewildered, and in February 1973, the board lifted its book bans.
-
At the risk of sounding less like a columnist and more like a bewildered bystander … what the heck happened?
Noun
-
Max initially dismisses Becky, a college dropout turned temp, as a bubbly simpleton, far below his intellectual rank.
-
Gamble, seeing there was no way to get anywhere with the chancellor playing the simpleton, opened the floor to softball questions.
Adjective
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Ureña, a 22-year-old right-hander who has emerged as another potential ace, speaks of Soriano with a giddy amusement mixed with a solemn respect for how the starter has survived in the big leagues.
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For now, the stock market and the credit market are telling slightly different stories about the same companies, one giddy and one wary.
Adjective
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Further, Plato’s disdain for Gorgias, Antisthenes’ first teacher, and sophistry in general is clear; in the Platonic dialogue Gorgias, the titular character is made out to be rather foolish.
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One is villianized and one is made to look foolish.
Adjective
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The 41-year-old is still an elite NBA player, which is still an absurd reality to consider.
-
The thesis rests on a claim that would have sounded absurd a year ago.
Cite this Entry
“Silly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silly. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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