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sillily

sillily

8.1
In a foolish way to make people laugh
  • adverb
  • /ˈsɪl.i.li/
translation icon : tontamente
  • She waved her arms sillily to cheer up her friend after a bad day.

Examples

  • Why do you always act sillily during meetings?

  • The children laughed as their teacher acted sillily to get their attention.

  • He answered the question sillily, making everyone in the room smile.

  • She laughed sillily at the joke.

  • He laughed sillily when he saw the clown trip over his own feet.

  • She made sillily exaggerated faces to make her friends giggle.

  • During the party, they danced sillily around the living room, enjoying the music.

Synonyms

foolishly
vssillily
28 2.8

In a way that shows poor judgment

is more playful or lighthearted rather than only showing poor judgment
idiotically
vssillily
  • Offensive
3 6.3

In a very foolish way that shows bad judgment

is lighter in tone and more about harmless play than bad judgment
goofily
vssillily
  • Informal
1 4.2

In a silly, awkward way that looks funny

is similar but can be less intentionally playful and more foolish
inanely
vssillily
1 7.3

In a silly way that has no real purpose

is more expressive and playful rather than merely pointless
clownishly
vssillily
1 6.4

In a silly, foolish way like a clown

is less theatrical and more simple in its lightheartedness
kiddingly
vssillily
1 3.6

To say or do something in a joking way without being serious

is about harmless foolish action rather than intentional joking or teasing
fatuously
vssillily
  • Offensive
1 9.2

In a silly way that shows little understanding

is more lighthearted and not necessarily complacent about the action
moronically
vssillily
  • Offensive
1 7.6

In a very foolish way that shows little sense

is milder and often playful rather than extremely lacking in sense
dumbly
vssillily
1 7.5

Without thinking and showing little care for others

is usually harmless and more about playful behavior than insensitivity
doltishly
vssillily
  • Offensive
9.7

In a foolish way without much thought

is less about low intelligence and more about playful absurdity
daftly
vssillily
  • Informal
7.6

Behave in a silly, foolish way that seems a bit crazy

is typically more playful and less extreme than mild insanity
zanily
vssillily
  • Informal
8.2

In a silly, funny way that makes people laugh

is more plain and less focused on comic performance
risibly
vssillily
  • Formal
8.5

In a way that makes people laugh because it is silly

is not only about causing laughter but about simple lightheartedness

Antonyms

1.6

In a way that shows you mean what you say

How Silly

absurdly
23 5.0
ridiculously
72 3.7
sillily
8.1
foolishly
28 2.8
childishly
3 3.9

Surface Forms

sillily positive

Morphology

sillily = silly (transparent) = silly + ly

The adverb is formed regularly from the adjective 'silly' with the productive suffix '-ly', preserving the core meaning.

Etymology

Sillily is made from silly and the adverb ending -ly, and adding -ly turns an adjective into 'in a ... way'. Silly once meant 'happy' long ago but came to mean 'foolish', so sillily means 'in a foolish way'.