silly
- 01 A2 Elementary
adj.showing a lack of thought or being funny in a way that is not serious.
adj.exhibiting a lack of common sense or judgement; often used to describe behaviour that is playfully or harmlessly foolish.
Simple“The children were making silly faces at each other during the long car ride.”
In context“It was a silly mistake to leave the windows open while the sprinklers were running, but fortunately no permanent damage was done.”
Synonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
adj.in the game of cricket, a position for a player who stands very close to the person hitting the ball.
adj.denoting a fielding position located extremely close to the batsman, such as 'silly mid-on' or 'silly mid-off'.
Simple“The captain moved a fielder into a silly position to put pressure on the batsman.”
In context“Fielding in a silly position requires immense courage and sharp reflexes, as the player stands only a few feet from the striker's blade.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.a person who is acting in a foolish or funny way.
n.a person who behaves in a foolish or lighthearted manner; frequently used as a mild, affectionate term of address.
Simple“Don't be such a silly; you know I was only joking about the spiders.”
In context“The teacher gently chided the young student, calling him a 'silly' for trying to wear his sweater as a pair of trousers.”
Synonymsgoofnitwit - 04 C2 Proficiency
adj.describing someone who deserves pity or is very weak.
adj.evoking compassion or pity; historically related to being helpless or simple-minded.
Simple“The old man looked like a silly creature, lost in the cold wind.”
In context“In the older verses, the poet refers to the 'silly sheep' not to mock them, but to highlight their innocent and defenceless nature.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is rare in modern English and mostly found in older literature or specific regional dialects; learners should use 'foolish' for modern contexts.
From Middle English seely, sēlī, from Old English sǣliġ, ġesǣliġ (“lucky, fortunate”), from Proto-West Germanic sālīg, from sāli; equivalent to seel (“happiness, bliss”) + -y. Doublet of Seelie. The semantic evolution is “lucky” to “innocent” to “naive” to “foolish”. Compare the similar evolution of daft (originally meaning “accommodating”), and almost the reverse with nice (originally meaning “ignorant”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.