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
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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:
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
She was unaware parking overnight was banned in the village's long-stay car park, and said not allowing campers to pay to stay in empty or quiet sites seemed "a bit daft".
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Just how daft was made clearer by this week’s response from Mr. Griffin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
“Busy? Are you that daft, Lizzie? I wanted to walk with you.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Maybe you think it could be longer, louder, downright dafter?
From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2022
Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories Totally undanceable, dafter than ever—and a wire-to-wire triumph.
From Slate ● May 21, 2013
Turning on the nearest cameraman was even dafter.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 7, 2012
Warren Gatland's taunts are starting to look dafter by the match.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 28, 2011
What could be dafter Than John Skelton's laughter?
From Fairies and Fusiliers by Robert Graves
Of all the myths about Beyoncé, the rumour that she didn’t give birth to Blue Ivy is among the daftest and the cruellest.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 28, 2018
It’s just a shame it’s also now one of the daftest.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 21, 2017
"She had unerring skill to make the daftest, silliest thing sound absolutely real and absolutely plausible," he added.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2014
"It's one of the daftest mistakes of my life," he says.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2012
I often tell him he's the daftest in a' the house.—But what are they making sic a skirling for?—Deil ane o' them's get in here—it wadna be mensfu'!
From The Heart of Mid-Lothian, Volume 2 by Sir Walter Scott
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
