naff

[naf]

adjective

1. unstylish; lacking taste; inferior.

verb (used without object)

1. to goof off; fool around (often followed by around orabout ).

verb phrase

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

naff

/ næf /

adjective

1. slang,  inferior; in poor taste

Other Word Forms

• naffness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of naff¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of naff¹

C19: perhaps back slang for fan, short for _fanny

Example Sentences

Sullivan says it can often be "naff and cringy" if a musician brings their child on stage "just for the sake of it", but if done right, it can be "incredibly sweet and show a lot of love".

From BBC

Giving a stark summary of Raymond McDonald, his mother says: "He's got naff all. He's a bloody big liar. I've had two nervous breakdowns because of him."

From BBC

“He was a bright engineer who talked a lot about his family, fiancée and future of being a husband and dad,” his supervisor Maria Naff wrote in an online tribute.

From Seattle Times

At other times in the year, we might be more critical of naff storylines, schmaltzy acts of love and out-of-date jokes, but at Christmas we allow ourselves to be lulled by Hugh Grant's earnest optimism that "if you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love, actually, is all around".

From BBC

Her grandfather Naff was less enamored with the civil disobedience, mostly content to support his grandchildren.

From Los Angeles Times