Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

oafishness

  • a word derived from oaf.
    oaf
    noun
    a clumsy, stupid person; lout.
  • a word derived from oafish.
    oafish
    adjective
    clumsy and stupid; unmannered; loutish.

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.

See Examples For:

As the stock market alternatively displays the grace of a boxer and the oafishness of a drunkard, investors are once more confronting that which they fear most: volatility.

From Barron's Jul. 1, 2026

Where oafishness is the defining characteristic of a Son, then, wrongheadedness is the central feature of a Nephew.

From The Verge Aug. 14, 2018

Alerted of the crisis by a cat-sitter manifesting depraved oafishness, he spends money that he does not have to fly home from North Carolina and mount a search.

From Slate Jan. 4, 2013

Amid scenes of egotism and oafishness, the last qualities a footballer loses, there are variable attempts at cuisine and amusing ribaldry around the table.

From The Guardian Jun. 10, 2010

All the oafishness and surly awkwardness of the half-boy period was gone.

From The Pearl of Orr's Island A Story of the Coast of Maine by Harriet Beecher Stowe