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silly
5 dictionary results for: silly
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
sil·ly 
[sil-ee] Pronunciation Key adjective, -li·er, -li·est, noun, plural -lies.
—Related forms
[sil-ee] Pronunciation Key adjective, -li·er, -li·est, noun, plural -lies. –adjective
–noun
| 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. |
| 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]
] —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.
—Antonyms 1. sensible.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| sil·ly
(sĭl'ē) Pronunciation Key
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. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
silly
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
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| silly | |
adjective | |
| 1. | ludicrous, foolish; "gave me a cockamamie reason for not going"; "wore a goofy hat"; "a silly idea"; "some wacky plan for selling more books" [syn: cockamamie] |
| 2. | lacking seriousness; given to frivolity; "a dizzy blonde"; "light-headed teenagers"; "silly giggles" [syn: airheaded] |
| 3. | inspiring scornful pity; "how silly an ardent and unsuccessful wooer can be especially if he is getting on in years"- Dashiell Hammett [syn: pathetic] |
| 4. | dazed from or as if from repeated blows; "knocked silly by the impact"; "slaphappy with exhaustion" [syn: punch-drunk] |
noun | |
| 1. | a word used for misbehaving children; "don't be a silly" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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.
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