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
Relevance
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silliness
Noun
-
Kraepelin hoped that schizophrenia would eventually reveal itself to be a disease like neurosyphilis, which was then responsible for a large portion of the cases of insanity in psychiatry wards.—
Rachel Aviv,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025 -
Way was nothing short of a force of nature in the role, bringing a mix of mania, terror and insanity to a character that felt straight out of the comic books he’s written.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
While praised by real-life doctors for being one of the more accurate medical shows, Scrubs still made room for plenty of silly, lighthearted nonsense.—
James Mercadante,
EW.com,
21 July 2025
-
In that case, this is a lot of nonsense over something that just won’t arise.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
Noun
-
Has more of that Innocent Man lightness and exuberance than most of the stuff on his later records, and benefits from it.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Vulture,
18 July 2025
-
Gaura: With its wispy, butterfly-like blossoms, gaura adds lightness and motion to garden beds.—
Lauren Dunec Hoang,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 July 2025
Noun
-
Mid-season madness has officially started for the Colorado Rapids, less than a week before the MLS secondary transfer window opens.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
19 July 2025
-
Will the young girl in Horas Extras succumb to total madness?—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
17 July 2025
Noun
-
All this stupidity is only part of what makes SB 540 perhaps the year’s dumbest bill.—
Thomas Elias,
Mercury News,
18 July 2025
-
To My Canadian brothers and sisters: Please accept the sincerest apologies of many Americans for the lies, degradation and stupidity you have been subjected to by the U.S. president and his supporters and enablers.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
Guests applaud with glee as the couple make their way back down the aisle and share a dip and a kiss!—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
16 July 2025
-
Democrats are experiencing a devilish glee as MAGA World clashes over the Trump administration’s push to defuse conspiracy theories surrounding the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Traditional funds benefit from diversification and operational simplicity, while merchant banking funds can potentially drive better outcomes through hands-on involvement.—
Josipa Majic Predin,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
-
He was known for his elegant simplicity in songwriting and his love for farming and hunting.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
Use it to find and retrieve stray nuts or bolts in any crevice.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Without that pollination, almond trees produce only 200 pounds of nuts per acre.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Silliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silliness. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share