naff

[ naf ]

adjective

unstylish; lacking taste; inferior.

verb (used without object)

to goof off; fool around (often followed by around or about).

Verb Phrases

naff off, go away: used as an exclamation of impatience.

Origin of naff

First recorded in 1955–60, for an earlier sense; perhaps via Polari from Italian, for the adjective; perhaps a corruption of either eff or fanny, for the verb

Other words from naff

naffness, noun

Words Nearby naff

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use naff in a sentence

I realize it sounds so naff as I’m saying it to you, but they had people in tears.
To Keep Workers in Today's Economy, Flexibility Is More Important Than Money | Emma Barker | April 24, 2022 | Time

British Dictionary definitions for naff

naff

/ (næf) /

adjective

British slang inferior; in poor taste

Origin of naff

C19: perhaps back slang for fan, short for fanny

Derived forms of naff

naffness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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