Word
daft
US/ˈdæft/
UK/dˈɑːft/
Definitions
01silly or foolish
adj. silly or not very sensible.
adj. characterised by a lack of good sense or judgement; foolish in a harmless or amusing way.
“It was a bit daft of me to leave my umbrella at home when it was cloudy.”
“The manager admitted it was a daft mistake to schedule the outdoor event during the peak of the rainy season.”
British English · Informal
Usage
Often used with 'of' when describing an action, as in 'it was daft of him to...'.
Teaching tip
This is a very common everyday word in the UK; it is usually lighthearted and less offensive than calling someone 'stupid'.
02crazy or insane
adj. acting in a way that seems crazy or very strange.
adj. behaving in a manner that suggests mental instability or extreme eccentricity.
“He must be daft if he thinks he can swim across that freezing lake.”
“The locals thought the old man was slightly daft because he spent all day talking to the birds in the park.”
British English · Informal
Teaching tip
While it can mean 'insane', it is typically used for eccentric behaviour rather than clinical mental illness.
Etymology
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).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.