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:
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
Citadel in 2022 moved its headquarters from Chicago to Miami, but it still maintains a large New York presence—which made it a daft target to pick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Just how daft was made clearer by this week’s response from Mr. Griffin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
One can be a fan of “Marty Supreme” and still think Chalamet’s comments were daft.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2026
There was something comical about Tommy at that moment, something that made you think, well, yes, if he’s going to be that daft, he deserves what’s coming.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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
All of the above except Johnson were signed by Hughes, who also either thought or was persuaded that Terry would have been a good buy at an even dafter price.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 21, 2010
Now I was fairly daft, and every minute growing dafter.
From Greenmantle by John Buchan
"It was one of the daftest decisions in boxing. I'll be back."
From BBC ● May 18, 2024
It’s just a shame it’s also now one of the daftest.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 21, 2017
Still, in Linda Coverdale's fluent translation, he comes across as the brainiest, daftest, sternest, funniest, most companionable hermit you'll ever meet.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 1, 2013
"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
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.
