goofy
Americanadjective
adjective
-
foolish; silly; stupid
-
(of teeth) sticking out; protruding
Other Word Forms
- goofily adverb
- goofiness noun
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.
He resembles the Finder icon on Apple computers, but with a tiny stature and goofy mannerisms.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Baseball let Netflix hijack its season opener with goofy wrestlers and dancers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
"It's been adapted for modern families, so hopefully it deals with the genuine problems of what it's like to be a modern parent and a modern kid through a goofy and silly lens."
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
Four years from now, here’s hoping a new crop of American sluggers remember to get a little goofy with it.
From Salon • Mar. 18, 2026
The pictures go all the way back to when we were little, and we’re making goofy faces in most of them.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
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.
