English · Word Candidate

silly

/ˈsɪl.i/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: sillier · silliest · sillies

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Buồn cười hoặc hài hước vì ngu ngốc

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

They were laughing at a silly joke.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance. — Absurdly large.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Quá lớn một cách buồn cười

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

He cannot achieve celebrity by covering himself with diamonds... or by giving a silly price for a hack.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Sillily: in a silly manner.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một cách ngớ ngẩn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

AdverbRegister: colloquial

Examples

If you did but see how silly a Man fumbles for an Excuse, when he's a little asham'd of being in Love.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A silly person.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Người ngớ ngẩn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

NounRegister: colloquial

Examples

While they, poor sillies, bid good night, O' love an' bogles eerie.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “silly” mean?

Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.

Is “silly” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.