Synonyms for silly
| Grammar : Adj |
| Spell : sil-ee |
| Phonetic Transcription : ˈsɪl i |
Top 10 synonyms for silly
- asinine
- balmy
- brainless
- dippy
- dizzy
- empty
- empty-headed
- fatuous
- featherbrained
- flighty
- foolhardy
- harebrained
- ignorant
- illogical
- immature
- imprudent
- inane
- inconsistent
- irrational
- meaningless
- muddle-headed
- nitwitted
- puerile
- ridiculous
- senseless
- sheepheaded
- simple
- simpleminded
- stupid
- unintelligent
- unreasonable
- unwise
- vacuous
- witless
Définition of silly
Origin :- Old English gesælig "happy, fortuitous, prosperous" (related to sæl "happiness"), from Proto-Germanic *sæligas (cf. Old Norse sæll "happy," Old Saxon salig, Middle Dutch salich, Old High German salig, German selig "blessed, happy, blissful," Gothic sels "good, kindhearted"), from PIE *sele- "of good mood; to favor," from root *sel- (2) "happy, of good mood; to favor" (cf. Latin solari "to comfort," Greek hilaros "cheerful, gay, merry, joyous").
- This is one of the few instances in which an original long e (ee) has become shortened to i. The same change occurs in breeches, and in the American pronunciation of been, with no change in spelling. [Century Dictionary]
- The word's considerable sense development moved from "happy" to "blessed" to "pious," to "innocent" (c.1200), to "harmless," to "pitiable" (late 13c.), "weak" (c.1300), to "feeble in mind, lacking in reason, foolish" (1570s). Further tendency toward "stunned, dazed as by a blow" (1886) in knocked silly, etc. Silly season in journalism slang is from 1861 (August and September, when newspapers compensate for a lack of hard news by filling up with trivial stories). Silly Putty trademark claims use from July 1949.
- adj absurd, giddy, foolish
- It is little use telling one's self that one's fear is silly.
- Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
- How silly of you, Toinette, to be so afflicted at his death.
- Extract from : « The Imaginary Invalid » by Molire
- If he comes wooing again, I shall not be so silly as I was the last time.
- Extract from : « The Bacillus of Beauty » by Harriet Stark
- But how should I know he would care to hear about a lot of silly Mammoths.
- Extract from : « The Trail Book » by Mary Austin
- Very odd, he thought; what had the silly Indians been up to now?
- Extract from : « The Penance of Magdalena and Other Tales of the California Missions » by J. Smeaton Chase
- But those hill dwellers cannot read; do you not know that, you silly?
- Extract from : « The Boy Life of Napoleon » by Eugenie Foa
- Now I wonder if you do, or if some idea of silly pride makes you say so.
- Extract from : « The Leopard Woman » by Stewart Edward White
- I never felt so silly, or so much abashed, as at this instant.
- Extract from : « Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10) » by Maria Edgeworth
- And force is a crime in the eyes of the fools, the weak and the silly who rule the roost.
- Extract from : « The Secret Agent » by Joseph Conrad
- But do you think, silly boy, that the thought was new to me?
- Extract from : « In the Valley » by Harold Frederic
Antonyms for silly
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019