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

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

"I’m really keen to get back to some silliness now, I miss the studio floor, I miss laughter."

From BBC

‘There was a lot of silliness happening with other characters; I wanted to play this as straight and real as possible,’ Lamorne Morris says of his role as a state trooper on ‘Fargo.’

From Los Angeles Times

There was a lot of silliness happening with other characters; I wanted to play this as straight and real as possible.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• absurdity
• craziness
• foolishness
• goofiness
• stupidity