silliness

[ sil-ee-nis ]

noun

1. the quality of lacking good sense; foolishness:

   The author pokes fun at herself and the general silliness of celebrity culture.

   Her blog cuts through the contradictions, misinformation, and downright silliness out there about naturopathy.

2. absurdity, ridiculousness, or irrationality:

   This “no-touch” policy occasionally devolves into silliness, as when a teacher hesitates to help a five-year-old zip up a jacket.

3. clownish, whimsical, or exaggerated humor and playfulness; unrestrained high spirits:

   Our sessions included a lot of chatter, laughter, and silliness—exactly what sitting around a table playing games with friends is all about.

Word History and Origins

Origin of silliness¹

silly ( def ) + -ness ( def )

Example Sentences

Ralph Fiennes does a lot of heavy lifting to disguise its silliness.

From Los Angeles Times

Thanks to the deadpan chops of the cast, the low-grade silliness is funny enough to offset the occasional feeling that a shorter, tighter version built around its biggest laughs might have been more effective.

From Los Angeles Times

Sure, England’s 823-7 declared on the first-Test slab of concrete in Multan was fun for its silliness, it just wasn’t great viewing for the lack of contest between bat and ball.

From BBC

Nothing gets too hairy; the silliness of the situation dominates the tone.

From Los Angeles Times

Hart, who is best known for her eponymous BBC show Miranda, told the BBC it had been a "tough few years" but she was "thrilled" by her marriage, and she was "really keen to get back to some silliness".

From BBC

Related Words

• absurdity
• craziness
• foolishness
• goofiness
• stupidity