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:
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
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
Where do you suppose he got such daft and dangerous ideas?
From Salon ● May 11, 2026
Just how daft was made clearer by this week’s response from Mr. Griffin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
“I suppose you think I’m daft, talking to a toy. But it seems to me that you are listening, Susanna.”
From "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo
Maybe you think it could be longer, louder, downright dafter?
From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2022
The German winger took all available advantage of Jansen’s clumsy lunge; a hint of moral turpitude in the ease with which he went over, perhaps, but the challenge was dafter than the dive was saucy.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 11, 2014
Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories Totally undanceable, dafter than ever—and a wire-to-wire triumph.
From Slate ● May 21, 2013
At the dafter odds of 100-1, Tarquinius is also capable of a big effort.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 6, 2013
They stay'd nea langer i' t' wood that neet, Poor men were niver dafter, They ran awa hame as fast as they could, An' their dogs ran yelping after.
From Yorkshire Dialect Poems (1673-1915) and traditional poems by Frederic William Moorman
"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
Brian Griffith's hunk of brick-built cake is the daftest and most inert of them.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 19, 2010
"Yeah!" he says, as if it's the daftest question he's ever been asked.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 30, 2010
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.
