A word’s fortunes can changeSourced
Not region-specific · English meaning
Silly once carried happier meanings
English silly shifted from senses of happiness and good fortune toward foolishness. The development of a negative connotation from an inoffensive sense is called pejoration. Finding the same word in an older text does not guarantee the modern evaluation belongs there.
The spelling can remain while the judgment changes.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Pejorative · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-05