Learn Arabic › A1 › سَخِيف
سَخِيف
silly /saˈxiːf/
adjectiveA1#694 most common
Also: absurd, ridiculous, trivial, insubstantial, annoying (of a person)
Example sentences
هٰذَا سَخِيف.
This is silly.
أَنْتَ سَخِيفٌ جِدًّا.
You are very silly.
لَا تَكُنْ سَخِيفًا، الْأَمْرُ بَسِيطٌ.
Don't be silly, the matter is simple.
كَانَ عُذْرُهُ سَخِيفًا فَلَمْ يُصَدِّقْهُ أَحَدٌ.
His excuse was so silly that no one believed him.
سَئِمْتُ مِنْ تَعْلِيقَاتِهِمُ السَّخِيفَةِ عَلَى كُلِّ مَا أَكْتُبُهُ.
I am fed up with their silly comments on everything I write.
رَغْمَ مَظْهَرِهِ الْجَادِّ، تَبْقَى حُجَجُهُ سَخِيفَةً لَا تَسْتَحِقُّ الرَّدَّ.
Despite his serious manner, his arguments stay so silly that they do not deserve a reply.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | سَخِيفٌ | سُخَفَاءُ |
| Genitive | سَخِيفٍ | سُخَفَاءَ |
| Accusative | سَخِيفًا | سُخَفَاءَ |
| Vocative | يَا سَخِيفُ | يَا سُخَفَاءُ |
Word family
سَخَافةsilliness, absurdity
سُخْفfoolishness, nonsense
سَخُفَto be silly, to be foolish
أَسْخَفsillier, more absurd (comparative)
سَخِيفةsilly (feminine form)
Etymology
سَخِيف comes from the Semitic root س-خ-ف (s-kh-f), whose base sense is thinness or flimsiness. The verb سَخُفَ first described cloth that was thin and poorly woven. The meaning then moved from physical weakness to weakness of mind, giving the sense silly or foolish. The adjective uses the common pattern فَعِيل (faʿīl).
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