/ ˈsɪli; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective ( sil·lier , sil·li·est )
1.
showing a lack of thought, understanding or judgement
SYN foolish :
a silly idea
That was a silly thing to do !
Her work is full of silly mistakes.
'I can walk home.' 'Don't be silly—it's much too far!'
You silly boy!
2.
stupid or embarrassing, especially in a way that is more typical of a child than an adult
SYN ridiculous :
a silly sense of humour
a silly game
I feel silly in these clothes.
She had a silly grin on her face.
( especially BrE )
I got it for a silly price (= very cheap) .
3.
not practical or serious :
We had to wear these silly little hats.
Why worry about a silly thing like that?
► sil·li·ness noun [ U ]
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IDIOMS
- drink, laugh, shout, etc. yourself silly
- play silly buggers
—more at game noun
■ noun
( BrE also ˌsilly ˈbilly ) [ sing. ] ( informal ) often used when speaking to children to say that they are not behaving in a sensible way :
No, silly, those aren't your shoes!
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense deserving of pity or sympathy ): alteration of dialect seely happy , later innocent, feeble , from a West Germanic base meaning luck, happiness . The sense foolish developed via the stages feeble and unsophisticated, ignorant .