naff

American  

[naf] / næf /

adjective

1. unstylish; lacking taste; inferior.

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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 British  

/ næf /

adjective

1. slang inferior; in poor taste

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Other Word Forms

• naffness noun

Etymology

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 ( def. ) or fanny ( def. ), for the verb

Example Sentences

It was called "the worst programme ever made", "toe-curlingly naff", and criticised for alleged misogyny and shallow characters.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2023

And certainly, VF has a good track record with its outdoor/workwear brands, which have gone from naff to cool.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2020

The word itself – meaningless, infantile, a bit 80s and decidedly naff – is emetic enough without the inefficiency, the pointlessness, the utterly wasted time and opportunity of a procedure that fixes precisely nothing.

From The Guardian • Feb. 13, 2020

Met FallOut Boy for £100 and it was naff.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2019

“No. Nothing like that. There’s food on board. It’s mostly pretty naff — soy protein bars and freeze-dried noodles and whatnot. But its a change from coconut and fish for you.”

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray