silly money

noun

A ridiculously large (or, less commonly, small) sum of money.

“Buying a house in central London will set you back close to a million quid, these days – it's just silly money.”

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Meanings

nounsilly money (uncountable)
  1. idiomaticuncountableA ridiculously large (or, less commonly, small) sum of money.

    Buying a house in central London will set you back close to a million quid, these days – it's just silly money.

    4 more examples

    With collectors prepared to pay silly money for limited edition cars, Aston Martin commissioned Zagato to build a new body on the Vantage chassis.

    1996, Mike Lawrence, A-Z of Sports Cars

    Representatives of both the Employers and Contractors thought that the potential to make ‘silly money' was not within the ECC.

    1999, Jon Broome, The NEC Engineering and Construction Contract: A User's Guide

    12p is a small price to pay to save on inconvenience and get a shot at someone paying silly money for your item.

    2005, David Belbin, The EBay Book

    Standard prices range from about 180€ - 500€ per night (unless you're looking to spend really silly money).

    2005, Benjamin Craig, Cannes - A Festival Virgin's Guide: Attending the Cannes Film Festival for filmmakers and film industry professionals
Cite this entry
APA

silly money. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silly%20money

MLA

“silly money.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silly%20money. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “silly money,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silly%20money.

Source: silly money on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.