1
as in insanity
lack of good sense or judgment
she was both amused and irritated by the silliness of his comments regarding the movie they has just seen
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
stop this silliness at once!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lightness
a lack of seriousness often at an improper time
this inability to refrain from silliness is a distressing sign of professional immaturity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of silliness
Commentors, of course, had a mixed bag of reactions, ranging from arguing that Kelce is the Duchess of Delco to criticizing the governor's silliness.
—
Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Yet there’s wisdom amid the silliness, as the story gently makes a case for the necessity of grief, mindfulness and mortal awareness, even in a life otherwise unburdened by adult human responsibility.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
Alex evolved into [having] a sort of comedic, Betty White-type of silliness.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Time to stop the silliness with the opener and start him.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
Levy and Taylor Ortega play disorganized siblings who get thrust into the world of organized crime, a departure from the world of Schitt’s Creek, but still maintains the silliness and fun of a Dan Levy show.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
The zero gravity effects here work extremely well and there's a genuine good-naturedness on display that enhances the true silliness of the moment.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
For all its potential silliness, real characters populate these bloody waters.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026
My mom’s silliness, her humanness, her imperfections seemed to disappear in the process of repeatedly writing about her struggles.
—Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026
Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Yet there’s wisdom amid the silliness, as the story gently makes a case for the necessity of grief, mindfulness and mortal awareness, even in a life otherwise unburdened by adult human responsibility.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
Alex evolved into [having] a sort of comedic, Betty White-type of silliness.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Time to stop the silliness with the opener and start him.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
Levy and Taylor Ortega play disorganized siblings who get thrust into the world of organized crime, a departure from the world of Schitt’s Creek, but still maintains the silliness and fun of a Dan Levy show.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
The zero gravity effects here work extremely well and there's a genuine good-naturedness on display that enhances the true silliness of the moment.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
For all its potential silliness, real characters populate these bloody waters.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026
My mom’s silliness, her humanness, her imperfections seemed to disappear in the process of repeatedly writing about her struggles.
—Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silliness
Noun
-
The assassination attempt failed — and Hinckley was arrested, tried and found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982.—
Kelsie Cairns,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
His acquittal, which led to a public outcry, had an impact on the federal insanity defense — leading to a shift in the burden of proof.—
Katrina Kaufman,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This conception of dance music as channeling an elevated presence of mind in an unbound flow state (or whatever) is both galaxy-brained and complete nonsense.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
-
During the Iraq War, the popular narrative was that our heroic soldiers and marines were going in to liberate the people, free women, and topple a brutal dictator—the same nonsense we are fed now about Iran.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The process is long and excruciating, said Oceguera, but they’re just left with the essence of pineapple and coconut that’s carbonated a little for lightness on your tongue.—
Louisa Kung Liu Chu,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
There is a lightness to be found around material that could normally be challenging.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The priests argued that madness was a punishment from the gods and that healing came through repentance, along with sacrifices that helped maintain the temple’s operations.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The final round of fixtures on Saturday is going to be madness.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That men like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are entrusted with businesses of tectonic influence can be difficult to understand, but their cults of personality have been able to survive scrutiny, perhaps because the money itself is too imposing a firewall for their own stupidity to penetrate.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Eric Swalwell, a prominent Democratic House member and a front-runner in the race for California governor, had his political career blown up by allegations of degeneracy and abject stupidity.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
New York with aplomb, expressing glee about the network being able to keep the project a secret.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Laptop twee tries to pretend those simpler times are accessible, which makes for exaggerated, juvenile glee—a dishonest document of 2026, but a wildly appealing one.—
Samuel Hyland,
Pitchfork,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This was the most straightforward, efficient episode of the season, pleasurable in its simplicity, with only one gimmick (the to-go orders) that barely made a difference to the episode’s outcome.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
-
That simplicity is an advantage that baseball has over hockey, where everything moves so much faster and the plays don’t happen in discrete chunks.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There was no overpowering onion, which drives me nuts in potato salad.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Everything is coated in a garlic butter salt that masks the mediocrity of the nuts.—
Alex Beggs,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Silliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silliness. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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