doofus

American  

[doo-fuhs] / ˈdu fəs /

Or dufus

noun

plural

doofuses

1. Slang. a foolish or inept person.

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doofus British  

/ ˈduːfəs /

noun

1. informal a slow-witted or stupid person

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Etymology

Origin of doofus

An Americanism daing back to 1960–65; probably alteration of earlier goofus in same sense

Explanation

A doofus is a dummy or a simpleton — in other words, a goofy person who's not very smart. You might decide not to buy a top hat and suspenders after trying them on, looking in a mirror, and realizing you look like a doofus. Use the informal doofus when someone acts with stupidity or does something ridiculous and unthinking. If your brother angrily accuses you of stealing his favorite sunglasses, you can say, "You mean the ones on your head, doofus?" The word was originally 1960s US student slang, and it's thought to be modeled after goofus, an older term with a similar meaning, or to stem from the Scots doof, or "dolt."

Example Sentences

In the messages, Lively referred to Baldoni as "this doofus director of my movie" and described him as "a clown" who "thinks he's a writer now".

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

On UPN’s “Malcolm & Eddie,” which premiered in 1996, he’s the straight man to Eddie Griffin’s frenetic doofus.

From Salon • Jul. 23, 2025

Chris Pratt’s leap from playing an adorable golden retriever doofus in “Parks and Recreation” to “Guardians of the Galaxy’s” Star-Lord was a delightful surprise.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2024

And Gordon Sondland — who courted and championed Volodymyr Zelensky long before the Ukrainian leader became a wartime legend — thinks that he looks, in retrospect, not at all like a doofus.

From Washington Post • May 6, 2022

For a second he was afraid he was the doofus, but then he remembered that was what she called her bodyguard.

From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar