SILLY
What does "SILLY" mean?
Lacking good sense; foolish, frivolous, or absurd.
Meanings
- Showing a lack of judgment or seriousness; foolish or absurd. It was a silly mistake, but it cost us the game.
- Playfully foolish in a fun, lighthearted way. The kids were being silly, making faces at the camera. informal
- Dazed or stunned, as in 'knocked silly'. The fall knocked him silly for a moment. informal
Did you know?
- 'Silly' used to be a compliment: in Old English it meant 'blessed' and 'happy', then slid through 'innocent' and 'naive' before it finally landed on 'foolish'.
Word origin
From Old English 'sælig' (happy, blessed); over centuries the meaning slid from 'blessed' to 'innocent' to 'naive' to 'foolish' - a dramatic downhill drift in sense.
Remember it
SILLY has two L's standing like a pair of legs tripping over each other.
A little poem
Once 'silly' meant a soul that heaven blessed-
now it means the clown, and not the guest.
couplet
Wordplay
- Calling someone silly used to mean calling them blessed. So next time, take it as an Old English compliment.
What it teaches
Words drift like people do; 'silly' once meant blessed, proof that meaning is never fixed.
Quick facts
What does SILLY mean?
Lacking good sense; foolish, frivolous, or absurd.
Is SILLY a valid word?
Yes — SILLY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is SILLY?
SILLY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does SILLY come from?
From Old English 'sælig' (happy, blessed); over centuries the meaning slid from 'blessed' to 'innocent' to 'naive' to 'foolish' - a dramatic downhill drift in sense.
What can SILLY teach us?
Words drift like people do; 'silly' once meant blessed, proof that meaning is never fixed.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.