oaf

[ohf]

See more synonyms for oaf on Thesaurus.com

noun

a clumsy, stupid person; lout.
a simpleton; dunce; blockhead.
Archaic.
1. a deformed or mentally deficient child.
2. a changeling.

Origin of oaf

1615–25; variant of auf, Middle English alfe, Old English ælf elf; cognate with German Alp nightmare

Related formsoaf·ish, adjectiveoaf·ish·ly, adverboaf·ish·ness, noun

Can be confusedoaf oath

Synonyms for oaf

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1. churl, boor. 2. dolt, ninny.

Synonym study

1. See boorish.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for oaf

clod, fool, moron, dunce, idiot, goon, lout, brute, loser, beast, chump, blunderer, imbecile, clown, simpleton, klutz, nincompoop, sap, dolt, bruiser

Examples from the Web for oaf

Historical Examples of oaf

With Bill Forrester dead, then, had she turned to the oaf for comfort?
Pagan Passions
Gordon Randall Garrett
The oaf shambled along, his arm no longer around Gerda's waist.
Pagan Passions
Gordon Randall Garrett
Viewed objectively, there was nothing wrong with what the oaf was doing.
Pagan Passions
Gordon Randall Garrett
He and Joe were well matched and with the oaf as an ally really he had all the best of it.
Mercenary
Dallas McCord Reynolds
For a double second he had the oaf alone on his hands and that was sufficient.
Mercenary
Dallas McCord Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for oaf

oaf

noun

a stupid or loutish person

Derived Formsoafish, adjectiveoafishly, adverboafishness, noun

Word Origin for oaf

C17: variant of Old English ælf elf

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

Word Origin and History for oaf

1620s, auf, oph (modern form from 1630s), "a changeling; a foolish child left by the fairies" [Johnson], from a Scandinavian source, cf. Norwegian alfr "silly person," in Old Norse, "elf" (see elf). Hence, "a misbegotten, deformed idiot." Until recently, some dictionaries still gave the plural as oaves.