daft
Americanadjective
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senseless, stupid, or foolish.
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insane; crazy.
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Scot. merry; playful; frolicsome.
adjective
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informal foolish, simple, or stupid
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a slang word for insane
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informal extremely fond (of)
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slang frivolous; giddy
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of daft
before 1000; Middle English dafte uncouth, awkward; earlier, gentle, meek, Old English dæfte; cf. deft
Explanation
Daft means "foolish, wacky, or nutty." like your daft idea of wearing flip-flops to hike through the snow so that you didn't ruin your boots. When the adjective daft is used, you know something extremely silly or obviously goofy is involved — like setting all your money on fire to keep warm, instead of just using it to buy a coat. Some synonyms for daft are absurd, ridiculous, senseless and idiotic, so if someone calls you "daft," maybe you should rethink what you are trying to accomplish: Is there a better way to do it?
Vocabulary lists containing daft
The Crucible
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"I know how loved this unbelievably daft farty brilliant dog was and I adored sharing him with everyone on here," the radio presenter wrote.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Still, for the most part, the storytelling is daft fun; Holly and Arabella may not really get anywhere, but Ms. Cavalli should certainly keep going.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
At the time, England's David James was one of several players to criticise the ball, saying it would "allow extra goals" and "make some goalkeepers look daft".
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Where do you suppose he got such daft and dangerous ideas?
From Salon ● May 11, 2026
"You're daft, the both of you," Julian said.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
Maybe you think it could be longer, louder, downright dafter?
From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2022
While Skins managed to stay considerably ace, the plot lines also got darker and, eventually, dafter.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 26, 2019
If it looked silly, it was supposed to – and it was no dafter than the real thing – but at least they were here now.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 24, 2018
Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories Totally undanceable, dafter than ever—and a wire-to-wire triumph.
From Slate ● May 21, 2013
And now my conclusion I’ll tell, For faith I’m confoundedly dry; The chiel that’s a fool for himsel’, Gude L—d! he’s far dafter than I. RECITATIVO.
From The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing his Poems, Songs, and Correspondence. With a New Life of the Poet, and Notices, Critical and Biographical by Allan Cunningham by Robert Burns
"It was one of the daftest decisions in boxing. I'll be back."
From BBC ● May 18, 2024
"She had unerring skill to make the daftest, silliest thing sound absolutely real and absolutely plausible," he added.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2014
And its final shot, as well as failing to resolve any of the hinted-at emotional problems, really is one of the daftest things I have seen for a long time.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 9, 2010
"Yeah!" he says, as if it's the daftest question he's ever been asked.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 30, 2010
The other dog is the drollest, daftest, wildest little rascal you could conceive.
From Shireen and her Friends Pages from the Life of a Persian Cat by Gordon Stables
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
