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Giddy vs Silly - What's the difference?

giddy | silly |

In archaic terms the difference between giddy and silly

is that giddy is frivolous, impulsive, inconsistent, changeable while silly is pitiable; deserving of compassion; helpless.

As adjectives the difference between giddy and silly

is that giddy is dizzy, feeling dizzy or unsteady and as if about to fall down while silly is pitiable; deserving of compassion; helpless.

As a verb giddy

is to make dizzy or unsteady.

As a noun silly is

a silly person; a fool.

giddy

English

Adjective

(er)
  • Dizzy, feeling dizzy or unsteady and as if about to fall down.
  • The man became giddy upon standing up so fast.
  • Causing dizziness: causing dizziness or a feeling of unsteadiness.
  • They climbed to a giddy height.
  • Lightheartedly silly, or joyfully elated.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1905, author=
  • , title= , chapter=2 citation , passage=Miss Phyllis Morgan, as the hapless heroine dressed in the shabbiest of clothes, appears in the midst of a gay and giddy throng; she apostrophises all and sundry there, including the villain, and has a magnificent scene which always brings down the house, and nightly adds to her histrionic laurels.}}
    The boy was giddy when he opened his birthday presents.
  • (archaic) Frivolous, impulsive, inconsistent, changeable.
  • * 1599 ,
  • In brief, since I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can say against it; and therefore never flout at me for what I have said against it, for man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion.
  • * 1784 , , Tirocinium; or, A Review of Schools
  • Young heads are giddy and young hearts are warm,
    And make mistakes for manhood to reform.

    Synonyms

    * dizzy

    Derived terms

    * giddiness

    See also

    * vertiginous

    Verb

  • (obsolete) To make dizzy or unsteady.
  • To reel; to whirl.
  • (Chapman)

    silly

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • (label) Pitiable; deserving of compassion; helpless.
  • * 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , I.vi:
  • A silly man, in simple weedes forworne, / And soild with dust of the long dried way; / His sandales were with toilesome trauell torne, / And face all tand with scorching sunny ray
  • * (Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)
  • After long storms with which my silly bark was tossed sore.
  • * (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) (1772-1834)
  • The silly buckets on the deck.
  • (label) Simple, unsophisticated, ordinary; rustic, ignorant.
  • * 1633 , (John Donne), "Sapho to Philænis":
  • For, if we justly call each silly man'' / A ''little island , What shall we call thee than?
  • * (William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • A fourth man, in a silly habit.
  • * (John Milton) (1608-1674)
  • All that did their silly thoughts so busy keep.
  • Foolish, showing a lack of good sense and wisdom; frivolous, trifling.
  • Irresponsible, showing irresponsible behaviors.
  • Semiconscious, witless.
  • (label) Of a fielding position, very close to the batsman; closer than short.
  • Simple, not intelligent, unrefined.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1935, author= George Goodchild
  • , title=Death on the Centre Court, chapter=1 , passage=“Anthea hasn't a notion in her head but to vamp a lot of silly mugwumps. She's set her heart on that tennis bloke
  • (label) Happy; fortunate; blessed.
  • (Chaucer)
  • (label) Harmless; innocent; inoffensive.
  • * (Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)
  • The silly virgin strove him to withstand.
  • * Robynson (More's Utopia)
  • A silly , innocent hare murdered of a dog.

    Derived terms

    * sillily (adverb) * silly season

    Antonyms

    * ("playful"): pious

    Synonyms

    * ("playful"): charming

    Noun

    (sillies)
  • (colloquial) A silly person; a fool.
  • (colloquial) A mistake.
  • Anagrams

    * * * 1000 English basic words