Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
silly - 4 dictionary results
sil⋅ly
[sil-ee] 
adjective, -li⋅er, -li⋅est, noun, plural -lies.–adjective
| 1. | weak-minded or lacking good sense; stupid or foolish: a silly writer. |
| 2. | absurd; ridiculous; irrational: a silly idea. |
| 3. | stunned; dazed: He knocked me silly. |
| 4. | Cricket. (of a fielder or the fielder's playing position) extremely close to the batsman's wicket: silly mid off. |
| 5. | Archaic. rustic; plain; homely. |
| 6. | Archaic. weak; helpless. |
| 7. | Obsolete. lowly in rank or state; humble. |
–noun
| 8. | Informal. a silly or foolish person: Don't be such a silly. |
Origin:
1375–1425; earlier sylie, sillie foolish, feeble-minded, simple, pitiful; late ME syly, var. of sely seely
1375–1425; earlier sylie, sillie foolish, feeble-minded, simple, pitiful; late ME syly, var. of sely seely
Related forms:
sil⋅li⋅ly, adverb
sil⋅li⋅ness, noun
Synonyms:
1. witless, senseless, dull-witted, dim-witted. See foolish. 2. inane, asinine, nonsensical, preposterous.
1. witless, senseless, dull-witted, dim-witted. See foolish. 2. inane, asinine, nonsensical, preposterous.
Antonyms:
1. sensible.
1. sensible.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
|
Link To silly
| sil·ly (sĭl'ē) adj. sil·li·er, sil·li·est
[Middle English seli, silli, blessed, innocent, hapless, from Old English gesælig, blessed.] sil'li·ly (sĭl'ə-lē) adv., sil'li·ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Silly
Sil"ly\, a. [Compar. Sillier; superl. Silliest.] [OE. seely, sely, AS. s?lig, ges?lig, happy, good, fr. s?l, s?l, good, happy, s?l good fortune, happines; akin to OS. s[=a]lig, a, good, happy, D. zalig blessed, G. selig, OHG. s[=a]l[=i]g, Icel. s?l, Sw. s["a]ll, Dan. salig, Goth. s?ls good, kind, and perh. also to L. sollus whole, entire, Gr. ???, Skr. sarva. Cf. Seel, n.]1. Happy; fortunate; blessed. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. Harmless; innocent; inoffensive. [Obs.] "This silly, innocent Custance." --Chaucer. The silly virgin strove him to withstand. --Spenser. A silly, innocent hare murdered of a dog. --Robynson (More's Utopia). 3. Weak; helpless; frail. [Obs.] After long storms . . . With which my silly bark was tossed sore. --Spenser. The silly buckets on the deck. --Coleridge. 4. Rustic; plain; simple; humble. [Obs.] A fourth man, in a sillyhabit. --Shak. All that did their silly thoughts so busy keep. --Milton. 5. Weak in intellect; destitute of ordinary strength of mind; foolish; witless; simple; as, a silly woman. 6. Proceeding from want of understanding or common judgment; characterized by weakness or folly; unwise; absurd; stupid; as, silly conduct; a silly question. Syn: Simple; brainless; witless; shallow; foolish; unwise; indiscreet. See Simple.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : silly
Spanish:
tonto, bobo,
German:
albern,
Japanese:
ばかな
silly
O.E. gesælig "happy" (related to sæl "happiness"), from W.Gmc. *sæligas (cf. O.N. sæll "happy," Goth. sels "good, kindhearted," O.S. salig, M.Du. salich, O.H.G. salig, Ger. selig "blessed, happy, blissful"), from PIE base *sel- "happy" (cf. Gk. hilaros "gay, cheerful," L. solari "to comfort," salvus "whole, safe"). The word's considerable sense development moved from "blessed" to "pious," to "innocent" (1200), to "harmless," to "pitiable" (c.1280), to "weak" (c.1300), to "feeble in mind, lacking in reason, foolish" (1576). 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
