 3 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
silly
adjective
1: pungent adjectives of disesteem; "gave me a cockamamie
reason for not going"; "wore a goofy hat"; "a silly
idea"; "some wacky plan for selling more books" [syn:
{cockamamie}, {cockamamy}, {goofy}, {sappy}, {wacky},
{whacky}, {zany}, {unreasonable}]
2: lacking seriousness; given to frivolity; "a dizzy blonde";
"light-headed teenagers"; "silly giggles" [syn: {airheaded},
{dizzy}, {empty-headed}, {featherbrained}, {giddy}, {light-headed},
{lightheaded}]
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}, {ridiculous}]
4: dazed from or as if from repeated blows; "knocked silly by
the impact"; "slaphappy with exhaustion" [syn: {punch-drunk},
{slaphappy}]
noun: a word used for misbehaving children; "don't be a silly"
[also: {silliest}, {sillier}]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Silly \Sil"ly\, adjective [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}, noun]
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}.
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
154 Moby Thesaurus words for "silly":
Pickwickian, absurd, airy, apish, asinine, balmy, batty, bedazzled,
befooled, beguiled, benumbed, besotted, blockhead, bonehead, booby,
brainless, buffoonish, catchpenny, childish, clod, clot, cockeyed,
crazy, credulous, daffy, daft, daze, dazed, dazzled, dippy, dizzy,
dolt, dope, dopey, doting, drip, dumb, dummy, dunce, empty,
empty-headed, fatuitous, fatuous, featherbrained, flaky, flighty,
flimsy, fond, fool, foolhardy, foolheaded, foolish, fribble,
fribbling, frivolous, frothy, fuddled, futile, gaga, giddy, goofy,
goose, groggy, gulled, harebrained, idiot, idiotic, idle,
ignoramus, ignorant, illogical, imbecile, imbecilic, in a daze,
inane, inept, infatuated, insane, irrational, irresponsible,
jackass, jerk, knocked silly, kooky, laughable, light,
light-headed, loony, ludicrous, mad, maudlin, mazed, moronic,
muzzy, nerd, nincompoop, ninny, nitwit, nitwitted, nonsensical,
nugacious, nugatory, numskull, nutty, off, otiose, pointless,
poppycockish, preposterous, puerile, punch-drunk, punchy,
rattlebrained, ridiculous, risible, rubbishy, sappy,
scatterbrained, screwy, senseless, sentimental, shallow,
silly Billy, silly ass, simpleton, skimble-skamble, slaphappy,
slender, slight, stunned, stupefied, stupid, superficial,
thoughtless, trashy, trifling, trite, trivial, twaddling, twaddly,
twit, unintelligent, unreasonable, unwise, unwitty, vacuous, vain,
vapid, wacky, weak-minded, wet, windy, witless, woozy
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