goofy
Americanadjective
adjective
-
foolish; silly; stupid
-
(of teeth) sticking out; protruding
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of goofy
Explanation
Anything goofy is ridiculous and cute, like a squirrel on a skateboard or a big football player snuggling a teddy bear after every touch down. Goofy things are often well-intentioned but weird. Being awkward, telling dumb jokes and stories, or wearing crazy clothes are all great ways to be goofy. A goofy smile is sweet, unless you’re in England where it means you have big crooked teeth. Goofy, the dopey Disney dog who is all of these things, was created in 1929 when the word was brand new. It comes from a variation on the English dialect goff, "foolish clown."
Vocabulary lists containing goofy
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:
Chud’s goofy name didn’t register with the man until I explained exactly who Eatherly was.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
Erling Haaland stood on the pitch in Dallas, a goofy grin across his face and a Viking helmet atop his head at a jaunty angle.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
One can’t help but let their face spread into a big, goofy smile watching Early and his friends make something they’re so clearly excited by, something they’re proud of.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
By the end, however, Mbappé had unleashed a goofy flute celebration suggested by James Corden and held the sport in his palm once more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
I remember laughing with Mom, forcing her to eat bites of my sundae, and taking goofy pictures that we sent to everyone else in the family.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
But POP may never have been goofier than with “Don Bucefalo,” performed in the Italian historic society founded in 1877.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2024
Even goofier is an emotional scene that builds to June pledging this teary promise to her vanished mother: “I’ll stop making fun of you for using Siri for everything.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2023
The goofier “Shazam!,” which cost closer to $100 million to make, opened with $53.5 million in ticket sales and wound up an over-achieving success with $366 million worldwide.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2022
It is substantially goofier, trading wit for camp and channeling its rock star vibes more expressly than before.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2022
But where Stewart’s comedy on the series tended to be political, Zelensky’s sometimes veered into much goofier territory — more like Jimmy Fallon.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 28, 2022
The French have given us Delacroix, Debussy, Claire Denis and Simone de Beauvoir, along with some of the goofiest of goofball comedies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
He apologised for a follow-up track he released promising to "humble" Kendrick, saying it was the "lamest, goofiest" thing he'd recorded and was a "mis-step".
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2024
“It was probably well-intended, but this whole thing is just the goofiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Kirk said of Nebraska’s split system.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 9, 2024
“It was the goofiest concept in the world, but they said everything straight-faced,” says Brian Le of director-writers The Daniels’ pitch to them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2023
An Indian boy about her age was gazing down at her with the weirdest, goofiest grin on his face.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
