silly1 adjectivesilly2 noun
sillysil‧ly1 /ˈsɪli/ ●●● S2 adjective (comparative sillier, superlative silliest) 
WORD ORIGINsilly1
Origin:
Old English sælig ‘happy’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Do you mind if I ask a silly question?
- Don't pay any attention to her - she's just being silly.
- I had locked myself out, which was a silly thing to do.
- I have a question which might sound a bit silly.
- I think you're silly to worry so much about your hair.
- It's silly to build another room onto the house now.
- Now don't be silly, get up off the floor.
- That was silly of me -- I just locked the trunk and the keys are inside.
- We saw all these city people with their silly little sandals on.
- You're just a silly little boy.
- You've made a lot of silly mistakes in this essay.
- And, though I believe she is at heart a sensible girl, she might be driven to do something silly.
- I thought it was a damn silly place to park if some one wanted to take a leak in the bushes.
- Life was too short to worry about every silly little detail.
- One such came lolloping up to Meredith, a silly grin on its face.
- Rehearsals over, a certain degree of moodiness or silly humor would overtake him.
- Summoning the presence not to say something catty, I said something silly.
- You know the sort of thing ... Good, kind people, but extraordinarily silly.
THESAURUS
showing a total lack of good sense or good judgment. Stupid sounds very strong and is often used when you are annoyed or strongly criticizing someone’s behaviour: · I wish you’d stop asking stupid questions.· It was stupid of me to leave the door unlocked.· Well, if you’re stupid enough to skate on the lake, you deserve to fall in.
doing or saying things that are not sensible or serious, and that may make you feel embarrassed later. Silly sounds much gentler than stupid: · a silly mistake· Don’t be so silly! There’s nothing wrong with you.· I think you’re silly to worry so much about your hair.
informal not sensible, often in a way that is also amusing: · Is this another of your daft ideas?· Don’t be daft! Of course you’re not too old to go clubbing.
informal especially American English stupid: · a dumb question· He was dumb enough to believe her.· Oh, I just did the dumbest thing back there, I forgot my purse.
stupid. Foolish sounds rather formal and is used mainly in written English. The usual words to use in everyday English are silly or stupid: · It was a foolish thing to say.· They did not want to look foolish.· It was all a foolish dream.· I think the board of directors made a foolish choice that it will later regret.
formal done without thinking carefully enough about the possible disadvantages that may result: · She knew the marriage was unwise.· an unwise choice of words· It would be very unwise to speculate.
British English often humorous used when you think that what someone is planning or suggesting is certain to fail, but you do not want to say directly that they are behaving in a stupid way: · The leader of the opposition described it as ‘a brave decision.’· I think he’s being very brave.
Longman Language Activatorstupid behaviour, actions, ideas etc someone who is stupid or does stupid things does things that are not at all sensible and may have bad results: · You stupid boy! I've told you not to play with matches!· Withdraw the police from the area? I've never heard such a stupid idea!· Well, if you're stupid enough to skate on the lake, you deserve to fall in.· Don't you call me a stupid idiot!stupid to do something: · You'd have to be stupid not to take advantage of a great offer like this!do something stupid: · I was very drunk last night -- I hope I didn't do anything stupid.it is stupid (of somebody) to do something: · It was stupid of me to believe her of course, but I did.a stupid thing to say/do: · That was a stupid thing to say.· I didn't say you were stupid, I said it was a stupid thing to do.
especially American, spoken stupid: · She's always asking such dumb questions.· She told him Jeff was just a friend, and he was dumb enough to believe her.· Oh, I just did the dumbest thing back there, I forgot my briefcase.
someone who is silly or who says silly things does or says things that are not sensible or serious, and that may make them feel embarrassed later: · Now don't be silly, get up off the floor.· You've made a lot of silly mistakes in this essay.· I have a question which might sound a bit silly.it is silly to do something: · I think you're silly to worry so much about your hair.it is silly of somebody: · That was silly of me -- I just locked the trunk and the keys are inside.silly little: · You're just a silly little boy.a silly thing to do/say: · I had locked myself out, which was a silly thing to do.
British informal stupid in what you do or say, but often in a way that is also amusing: · Is this another of your daft ideas?· Don't be daft! Of course you're not too old to go clubbing.· Well, what's the daftest thing you've ever done at work?daft thing to do/say: · What a daft thing to say!daft as a brush (=used to say that someone is very daft): · She's as daft as a brush, honestly she is.
formal stupid and not thinking sensibly about the possible results of what you do: · Jan realised later that her behaviour had been very foolish.· I think the board of directors made a foolish choice that it will later regret.it is foolish (of somebody) to do something: · It was a warning she would have been foolish to ignore.
formal an action or plan that is ill-advised is stupid because it will probably cause problems in the future or be unsuccessful: · In an ill-advised effort to improve matters, they sent him to boarding school.· The bank claims that the company's losses are the result of an ill-advised decision to declare bankruptcy.
done without thinking carefully enough about the possible disadvantages that may result: · She knew the marriage was unwise, but she wanted a husband and a family.· A Defence Department spokesman described the comments as 'extraordinarily unwise'.· His appointment as chief executive proved to be a very unwise decision.· It's unwise to travel alone in certain parts of the city, so always take a cab.
irrational actions, feelings, or beliefs are not based on clear thinking or sensible reasons, so they are strange or hard to understand: · If Dane drinks even a couple of beers, he becomes irrational and even violent.· Jane's irrational hopes began to rise as she listened to him.irrational fear of/about something: · an irrational fear of flying
very stupid not at all sensible or reasonable, especially in an annoying or shocking way : · I said I enjoyed doing exams, and she looked at me as if I was crazy!· Ian's got some crazy plan to drive all the way across Africa.· The farmers can make more money by not planting crops - it's crazy, isn't it?· You're crazy to think of hitch-hiking on your own.
something that is ridiculous or absurd is so stupid that you can hardly believe that it has been done, said etc: · I've never heard anything so ridiculous! Of course I haven't been trying to avoid you!· an absurd suggestion· This is ridiculous. You've only known him three days, and you're going on holiday with him!· It's absurd to think Porter flew into a murderous rage just because he had an argument with his girlfriend.patently ridiculous/absurd (=used to emphasize that something is very ridiculous indeed): · This patently absurd argument is often used by anti-gay groups.
completely unreasonable or unsuitable: · The telephone lines are only open during office hours, which is ludicrous in this day and age.· She wears short skirts and dyes her hair pink, which looks ludicrous on a woman her age.
so stupid and unbelievable that it makes you want to laugh: · The government's attempt to privatize the prison service has been simply laughable.· It would be laughable if it wasn't so serious.
very stupid and likely to involve unnecessary risks and dangers: · Wyatt was nearly killed as a result of that idiotic stunt.· If that wasn't idiotic enough, the company went on to sack fifty percent of its skilled workers, replacing them with untrained apprentices.
: hare-brained scheme/plan etc a plan that is very stupid and cannot possibly be successful: · Alice had to figure out how to pay the rent after Ralph spent the money on another of his hare-brained schemes.
: inane remark/comment/conversation etc stupid and completely meaningless: · Penny began an inane conversation about the book she was reading to fill the silence.· Bad acting, weak script and inane dialogue -- this movie is truly awful.
stupid and childish someone who is childish annoys you by being unreasonable and unhelpful, or by complaining and being rude, as if they were a small child: · He said he wouldn't go out with us if Jerry was going too - he's so childish!· You know how childish he can be.· I'd like you to explain your childish behaviour.
someone who is immature behaves as if they were younger than they really are, so they are not as sensible or responsible as you expect them to be: · We were silly, immature teenagers, and we didn't know any better.· I was 19 when I went to college, but still very immature.· These kids are brilliant, but often socially immature.
someone who is juvenile , especially a young adult, behaves in a very silly way like a child, when they should be more sensible: · Some of the boys tried to involve me in their juvenile pranks, but I wasn't interested. · You wouldn't think that college students could be so juvenile.
a stupid person someone who does something very stupid or embarrassing: · You lost the tickets? How could you be such an idiot?· Anyone who tells you any different is either a fool or a liar.· Some idiot in a fast car is trying to overtake.· If you believe that, you're a bigger fool than I thought.· She was an idiot to drink so much on an empty stomach.make a fool of yourself (=do something that makes you seem very stupid): · It's increasingly common for the losers to go out kicking and screaming, and generally making fools of themselves.
British informal someone who behaves in a stupid and annoying way: · Look at those wallies jumping around and pulling faces behind the TV reporter.· You look like a right wally in that hat.
especially American someone who is a little stupid and annoying, and who does not care if they upset or hurt other people: · Some jerk just drove right into the back of my car.· I liked the job, but the manager was a jerk.· Ow! You jerk, that hurt!total/real jerk: · She seems to always end up in a relationship with some total jerk.
American informal someone who is stupid and embarrassing: · He's such a goof. I don't know what she sees in him.· He always acts like a real goof after a couple of glasses of wine.· Oh Mike's okay, he's just a bit of a goof ball.
American informal someone who is stupid and does not think about what they say or do: · I'm sorry I was such a dope last night.· Oh you dope, you bought the wrong one.
especially American, informal someone who you think is stupid and strange because they behave strangely or wear strange clothes: · I look like a real dork in this uniform.· Millions of listeners heard him call his production assistant a 'dork' live on air.
not intelligent also not too bright/intelligent/clever/smart someone who is not very bright/intelligent/clever/smart is unable to learn and understand things quickly and easily: · Sometimes I think Sheila just isn't very bright.· Saja may be handsome, but he's not too smart.· Franco works hard but he isn't really very intelligent.· He treated me like a young and not very clever child.
not at all intelligent: · She talks to us as if we're completely stupid.· Poor Larry's too stupid to realize when you're making fun of him.· It's only stupid people who believe in all that astrology mumbo-jumbo.
especially American, spoken not at all intelligent: · The athletic guys were seen as 'cute but dumb'.· You're so dumb, Clarissa!· If we look dumb enough, someone's bound to come and help us out.
British informal not at all intelligent: · He's a nice boy, but he's a bit thick, isn't he?· Not wishing to appear thick, but what exactly are you doing?as thick as two short planks (=very stupid): · Some of the students they let in these days are as thick as two short planks.
informal unintelligent and very slow to learn: · She's not the brightest kid in the class -- in fact, she's quite dim.· I'm playing a guy who's well-meaning but kind of dim.
informal completely stupid: · My sister's latest boyfriend is pretty brainless; it's impossible to have a conversation with him.· 'You brainless scum!' he shouted after the departing boys.
British informal very stupid - use this especially to describe someone who looks stupid or who never has their own ideas: · He just sat there with his mouth open looking really gormless.· a grinning, gormless boy
formal not as intelligent as most people: · It would be a mistake to assume that all football players are unintelligent.· He may not be as bright as his sister, but he's far from unintelligent.
someone who is not intelligent · Whenever I phone the bank I get through to some idiot who sounds about twelve years old.· Stop treating me like an idiot -- I can count you know!
informal a young woman who is attractive but not very intelligent, especially one who spends time with rich and famous people: · Backstage, Paul was surrounded by bimbos in short skirts just waiting for him to notice them.· She plays an apparent bimbo who manages to outwit her boss.
informal a very stupid person: · He treats his women staff as if they're all airheads.· Then some overpaid TV airhead starts telling us how wonderful her producer is.
an offensive word meaning a very stupid person: · What do you think I am, a complete moron?· Most media companies assume members of the general public are morons.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
You made a lot of silly mistakes. I left my keys at home, which was a pretty silly thing to do. ‘Shall we go for a walk?’ ‘Don’t be silly, it’s dark.’COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES You silly old fool! It was another of her silly little jokes.
You made a lot of silly mistakes. I left my keys at home, which was a pretty silly thing to do. ‘Shall we go for a walk?’ ‘Don’t be silly, it’s dark.’ (=extremely bored)· Patti was bored stiff with small-town Massachusetts life.
You silly old fool!· ‘Wipe that silly grin off your face!’ the teacher shouted.
It was another of her silly little jokes.· You need to be able to laugh at your own silly mistakes.
(=one whose answer is obvious)· Did you win, or is that a stupid question?
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Pathos rules and Seth is just silly.· He was just silly for himself.
· I felt pretty silly wearing a plastic walnut shell on my head.· The way I looked at it, doing three jumps into the sand was pretty silly.· You all feel pretty silly now, don't you?· In three years, you could feel pretty silly sitting in front of $ 2, 000 analog set.
· We used to be their pet band until we had a rather silly disagreement onstage.· Put like that, it did sound rather silly.· He went on to say that he felt they were both being rather silly and he wanted to make amends.
· Why do parents not try harder to stop their children being so silly?· I feel so silly going through my suitcase looking for a pair of pajamas to wear to a disco.· It had been a beastly day and Caroline had been so silly at supper.· How can you be so silly.· Carrie felt impatient with her - no grown-up should be so weak and so silly - but she was sorry as well.· Dragging you all this way in this heat. So silly, really.· She'd not act so silly again.
· All this talk about who fancied who was too silly, like Beatles' song lyrics, the stuff of day-dreams.· But at the end I thought it got a little bit too silly.· It would actually discourage expansion and seems too silly for the Government to seriously contemplate.· So here are a few of mine, mixed in with answers to those questions you might have felt too silly to ask.
· Cryer, Rushton, Garden, Brook-Taylor and Lyttleton play very silly games for radio.· He listened and then informed me that these were very silly children and that he would never feel like that.· All agreed that it was a trick and that it was very silly of the people who made it.· Lysistrata is a very silly play with a very bawdy storyline.· It must have looked very silly.· He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral.· And your Governor wasn't looking where he was going, it was very silly of him.
NOUN· And what good you, you silly fool, playing into my hands like this?· But the captain mocked him for a silly fool and bade the crew hasten to hoist the sail.
· Cryer, Rushton, Garden, Brook-Taylor and Lyttleton play very silly games for radio.· That's a Victoria thing, a silly game if you ask me.· It wasn't the time to be playing silly games.· Spying was a silly game anyway.· First, many critics see this as a silly game of publication counting, a bogus guide to merit in the lab.· In 1970, the last thing he wanted was to be reminded of Richard and the silly game they used to play.· We have returned from fighting for your well-being, mistress, and are in no mood for silly games.· I don't care to play out my silly games before the assembled company.
· Cryer, Rushton, Garden, Brook-Taylor and Lyttleton play very silly games for radio.· It wasn't the time to be playing silly games.· We have returned from fighting for your well-being, mistress, and are in no mood for silly games.· I don't care to play out my silly games before the assembled company.· I want to believe you never played about with drugs or silly games.
· The silly girl had managed to get the baggy satyr on her track.· The vision of the vain, silly girl she had been seemed to accuse her in some obscure way.· She was a silly girl, and far too easily impressed by Grunte's elephantine attentions.· Come on, get down, you silly girl.· Why do you panic like a silly girl every time something scares you?· Well, I just told Ruth not to be a silly girl and got him off to Nurse.· And she's not a silly girl, either.
· Secondly, I don't own a silly hat.
· But local councillors say it's a silly idea.· There was one way to scotch this silly idea.· Is it not about time to bring to a halt the silly idea which threatens the safety of Benefits Agency staff?
· The little things, silly jokes, family news, plans and questions are significant to the whole family.· True, it can be tiring to live through this silly joke phase, but this is the ultimate in language education.· Terribly difficult not to make it sound like a silly joke.· Norah Lettuce Leaf Children like these kinds of silly jokes and, for this, you make a rabbit's costume.
· What, am I to condemn the girl for one silly mistake to a lifetime of slights and abuse?· Perhaps, you might assert, you would never make such a silly mistake.· The company also started making silly mistakes.
· Diana and Carolyn would regularly while away a quiet evening ringing people with silly names who appeared in the telephone directory.· I do not want to take your silly name any longer.
· Rincewind wondered if it was poisonous, then chided himself for asking such a silly question.· Ask a silly question, Benny thought, and rolled her eyes.· Of course it had been a silly question, but why had she been so cross?· In section 16.4 we turn to why people demand money - not the silly question it may seem.· Much as I feel now at your damned silly question!· It does not seem to me that there is any need for me to answer his silly question on the subject.· That is rather a silly question on such an important occasion.
· Those parliamentary gossips still in London enduring the boredom of the silly season waited in happy expectation for the scandal to break.· The silly season is upon us.· Then that silly season when the oil rigs blew like bottles in a crate of excited stout.
· I felt other people felt the same way about silly things.· Who had time to be inventing silly things!· Perhaps that is a lesson that, at my age, I should stop doing such silly things.· Landing down wind is a silly thing to do.· She fought it for as long as she could, but it was such a silly thing.· The silly thing is that the labels only matter to you if you do know the rules yourself.· This was a weakness which led him to say silly things.· It was a silly thing to say.
· I felt other people felt the same way about silly things.· Who had time to be inventing silly things!· Perhaps that is a lesson that, at my age, I should stop doing such silly things.· This was a weakness which led him to say silly things.· And she takes such silly things.· I've heard since that people can do silly things then.· There was money for silly things.· Women did silly things all the time; that's why they were women.
· She longed for the silly woman to stop prattling and to blow out the candle.· When those silly women went to the downstairs powder room, I saw them go.· Silly, she thought, you silly woman!· Fru Møller was not a silly woman nor was she utterly stupid; she was, however, conventional and superficial.
· Silly words, silly words, silly awful hurting words.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► bore somebody sillyPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► drink yourself silly/into a stupor/to death etc► good/poor/silly old etc somebody► the silly season► too silly/complicated/ridiculous etc for words
1not sensible, or showing bad judgment: - Well, I laughed myself silly.
Stop asking silly questions. You made a lot of silly mistakes. I left my keys at home, which was a pretty silly thing to do. ‘Shall we go for a walk?’ ‘Don’t be silly, it’s dark.’► see thesaurus at stupid2stupid in a childish or embarrassing way: I feel so silly in this outfit. a silly hat I hate their parties – we always end up playing silly games.3spoken not serious or practical: They served us coffee in these silly little cups.4bore somebody silly informal to make someone extremely bored5drink/laugh/scare etc yourself silly informal to drink or laugh etc so much that you stop behaving sensibly—silliness noun [uncountable]silly1 adjectivesilly2 noun
sillysilly2 noun spoken EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- No, silly, put it over there!
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES You silly old fool! It was another of her silly little jokes.
(=extremely bored)· Patti was bored stiff with small-town Massachusetts life.
You silly old fool!· ‘Wipe that silly grin off your face!’ the teacher shouted.
It was another of her silly little jokes.· You need to be able to laugh at your own silly mistakes.
(=one whose answer is obvious)· Did you win, or is that a stupid question?
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► drink yourself silly/into a stupor/to death etc► good/poor/silly old etc somebody► the silly season► too silly/complicated/ridiculous etc for words
used to tell someone that you think they are not behaving sensibly: No, silly, I didn’t mean that.