ENGLISH
REFERENCE

daft

adj.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈdæft// UK //dˈɑːft// daft Archaic Informal

adj. silly or foolish. You use this word when someone does something that does not make sense.

adj. lacking good sense or judgment; foolish. Informal in register; common in British and Irish English.


SIMPLE

That was a daft idea.

CONTEXTUAL

He wore shorts in the snow, which was quite daft.

COMPLEX

The committee dismissed the proposal as daft, ignoring the subtle economic shifts that made it surprisingly viable.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English dafte, defte (“gentle; having good manners; humble, modest; awkward; dull; boorish”), from Old English dæfte (“accommodating; gentle, meek, mild”), from Proto-West Germanic daftī (“fitting, suitable”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰh₂ebʰ- (“fitting; to fit together”). Related to Old English dafnian, dafenian (“to be fitting, appropriate, or becoming”), Russian до́брый (dóbryj, “good”). Doublet of deft. Compare silly which originally meant “blessed; good, innocent; pitiful; weak”, but now means “laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance; mentally simple, foolish”. Unrelated to, though perhaps influenced by, daff (“fool (n.); to be foolish (v.)”) (past form daffed).

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