silly season: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1informal, journalistic
Quick answer
What does “silly season” mean?
A period, typically in summer, when news media publish trivial or frivolous stories due to a lack of significant news.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A period, typically in summer, when news media publish trivial or frivolous stories due to a lack of significant news.
Any period characterized by a lack of serious activity, trivial preoccupations, or absurd behavior, often in politics, business, or other fields during holiday periods.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
More established and commonly used in British English; understood but less frequent in American English where 'slow news season' or similar phrases might be used.
Connotations
In both varieties, carries a mildly cynical or humorous tone about media/political triviality.
Frequency
High frequency in UK media/journalism; moderate to low in general US usage.
Grammar
How to Use “silly season” in a Sentence
It's silly season again.We're entering the silly season.The papers are full of silly season stories.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “silly season” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- That's a classic silly-season story about a cat mayor.
- We're seeing silly-season levels of media coverage.
American English
- It's that silly-season time when news gets weird.
- The debate had a silly-season quality to it.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used to describe periods when decision-making slows and trivial issues get attention (e.g., 'Q3 is our silly season with everyone on holiday').
Academic
Rare in formal academic writing; might appear in media studies or political commentary.
Everyday
Used humorously to explain why news seems trivial (e.g., 'Don't mind that story—it's just silly season filler').
Technical
Not a technical term in any field.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “silly season”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “silly season”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “silly season”
- Using it to mean 'a season when people act silly' rather than specifically a media/news phenomenon.
- Capitalizing it as a proper name (not usually capitalized).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditionally yes (summer recess), but now can refer to any holiday period or time when serious news is scarce.
It's primarily informal/journalistic. In formal writing, use alternatives like 'period of reduced news activity'.
Not offensive, but mildly cynical/humorous. It criticizes media trivialization rather than individuals.
Yes, many European languages have similar journalistic terms (e.g., German 'Sauregurkenzeit', French 'la morte-saison').
A period, typically in summer, when news media publish trivial or frivolous stories due to a lack of significant news.
Silly season: in British English it is pronounced /ˈsɪli ˌsiːz(ə)n/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈsɪli ˌsiz(ə)n/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “silly season is upon us”
- “in the grip of silly season”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'silly' as in trivial + 'season' as in time period = the time for trivial news.
Conceptual Metaphor
NEWS CYCLES ARE SEASONS (with silly season as a particular 'season' of the news year).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'silly season' MOST appropriately used?