Is Silly Adjective, Adverb Or Noun? 5 Facts(When & Examples)

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Childish and idiotic are the two words that we can relate most to the word “silly”. Let us check which word “silly” belongs to which part of speech, adjective, adverb, or noun.

We can use the word “silly” as an adjective to specify meanings like “dumb”, “senseless”, etc. The word “silly” can be used as a noun, but the true noun form is “silliness”. We can easily modify any action or an adjective with the word “silly” as an adverb to depict the meaning “in a stupid manner”.

Now, we are going to learn important facts and explanations related to different usages of the word “silly.”

When is “silly” an adjective?

The word “silly” mainly refers to the senseless activities of any living person. Let us check when we can use “silly” as an adjective.

We can use the adjective “silly” when we need to refer to any dumb, meaningless, stupid activity of any of the following entities: singular noun or plural noun; singular pronoun or plural pronoun; singular noun phrase or plural noun phrase.

Similarity between nouns or noun equivalents along with superiority of any noun can be reflected with the adjective “silly”.

Is “silly” a descriptive adjective?

Special types of nouns or noun equivalents must be described with descriptive adjectives. Let us check if “silly” is a descriptive adjective or not.

The word “silly” can be used as a descriptive adjective to depict an act, character, matter, idea, or incident that is the result of foolishness or dumbness.

When we can use “silly” as a descriptive adjective?

The adjective “silly” can be applied to not only any living person but also to any animal, object, etc. We can use the word “silly” when we need to show any of the following features.

  • An act, person, or idea that has a low level of sense or low level of thought can be described with the adjective “silly”.
  • An activity or incident that is not practical or not sensible can be described with the adjective “silly”.
  • A statement which is not meaningful can be described with the adjective “silly”.
  • It is not mandatory that the adjective “silly” always refer to a person or act with low intelligence. The adjective “silly” can be referred to any act or statement that has been done just for fun.

Here are seven examples and explanations regarding the usage of the word “silly” as an adjective.

ExampleExplanation
1. Pijush is so silly that he tries to snatch a mosquito with a bat.The adjective “silly” is in use to describe the proper noun “Pijush,” which is used to attempt a senseless act to snatch mosquitoes.
2. My grandfather used to tell silly stories to his grandchildren to make them happy.The adjective “silly” is in use to demonstrate meaningless funny stories about the speaker’s grandfather.
3. My mother used to make silly comments about the dressing sense of fashion show models.The adjective “silly” is in use to modify the dumb comments of the speaker’s mother.
4. The little two-year-old boy is making silly faces and gestures by looking in the mirror.The adjective “silly” is in use to demonstrate the activities of a little toddler who was making fun by looking in the mirror.
5. The book is furnished with a silly description of the geographical features of the Himalayan mountain region, as the author of the book never went to that particular mountain.The adjective “silly” is used to describe the ludicrous description of a mountain which was described by the author of the respective book.
6. The shopping mall is full of silly items, which attract children very much.The adjective “silly” is in use to describe items in malls that have funny features.
7. I always make silly mistakes while performing any stage act in front of a crowd.The adjective “silly” is in use to mark some mistakes that the speaker made while performing a stage act in front of a crowd.
Examples of “silly” as a descriptive adjective

Is “silly” an adverb?

Though the word “silly” is an adjective, it may play the role of other parts of speech. Let us check if “silly” is an adverb or not.

We can use the word “silly” as an adverb to modify or describe any verb, adjective, or other adverb. The adverb “silly” mainly conveys the meaning “in a senseless manner”.

When we can use the adverb “silly”?

There are specific purposes which can be served with the help of the adverb “silly”. We can use the adverb “silly” when we need to modify any of the following situations:

  • Senseless acts or ideas of any human being can be modified with the adverb “silly”.
  • Senseless acts or ideas of any animal can also be modified with the adverb “silly”.

Here are some examples that are structured with the adverb “silly”.

ExampleExplanation
1. You must not act silly while presenting the project report to your immediate boss.The adverb “silly” is in use to modify the attribute of acting by depicting the meaning ‘in a dumb manner.’
2. Pijush always dances silly as he is very bad at dancing.The adverb “silly” is in use to modify the attribute of dancing by depicting the meaning ‘in a ridiculous manner.’
3. You must not crack jokes, as we do not know from the very beginning that the joke is mischievous.The adverb “silly” is in use to modify the attribute of the action of cracking jokes by depicting the meaning ‘in a nonsensical manner.’
4. The man next door always smiles silly in response to any type of question, as he is deaf.The adverb “silly” is in use to modify the attribute of smiling by depicting the meaning ‘in a meaningless manner.’
5. My son always speaks silly as he is a toddler and does not know the art of speaking.The adverb “silly” is in use to modify the attribute of speaking by depicting the meaning ‘in a pointless manner.’
Examples of “silly” as an adverb

Is “silly” a noun?

Sometimes we refer to a person with an adjective, and that adjective eventually becomes a noun in that sentence.

The word “silly” can certainly be termed as an adjective, but the word “silly” has another noun form, and that is “silliness”. The noun “silliness” mainly conveys an entity that is senseless or meaningless. We can use “silly” as an adjective if we describe a person or animal with this adjective.

When we can use the noun “silly”?

We can use the noun “silly” in place of any of the following naming entities.

  • We can refer to a dumb or foolish person or an animal with the noun “silly”.
  • A senseless act, idea, or thought process can be named with the noun “silliness”.
  • A behavior, gesture, or activity that has a lack of meaningful thought can be marked with the noun “silly”.

Here is a list of sentences which are structured with the noun “silly” or with the noun “silliness”.

ExampleExplanation
1. Hey, silly! You should reconsider your decision to resign from your current position.The noun “silly” is in use as the name of a person, though the actual intention was to make a remark on the foolish character of the addressed person.
2. The silliness that you have shown while rejecting the job promotion is irritating.The noun “silliness” is in use to refer to a stupid activity that the addressed person has shown by rejecting a job promotion.
3. I am not interested in interacting with your silliness.The noun “silliness” is in use to refer to the stupid thoughts or ideas of the addressed person.
4. The silliness of doing window shopping for one hour is worth doing to pass time.The noun “silliness” is used to describe meaningless window shopping for the sake of passing the time.
5. You have done extreme silliness while communicating with your would-be wife.The noun “silliness” is used to describe an idiotic activity that the addressed person engaged in while interacting with his prospective wife.
Examples of “silly” as a noun

Conclusion –

We can conclude our lesson with some words which are completely opposite to the meaning “silly”, i.e., intelligent, sensible, wise, etc.