daft

adjective

ˈdaft How to pronounce daft (audio)
 also  ˈdäft
1
chiefly British, informal : silly, foolish
Don't do anything daft.
see also daft as a brush
2
chiefly British, informal : mad, insane
… he looks at me as if I were daft.Johanna McGeary
3
Scotland : frivolously merry
daftly adverb
daftness noun

Examples of daft in a Sentence

Your idea seems a bit daft to me. She looked at us as if we'd gone daft.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Hulu 'Shaun of the Dead' (2004) Edgar Wright's beloved breakthrough zombie comedy puts a daft spin on an undead apocalypse, with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as loyal best friends ill-prepared for normal everyday life, much less an existential emergency. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024 Due to some daft scheduling, the match was played under the baking afternoon sun - around 100 degrees Fahrenheit - in this famously harsh climate. Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024 Lots of music by Bach, of course, but also jazzy improvisations and a concert to celebrate a daft knight-errant. Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 31 May 2024 In the twisted thriller Saltburn, Pike wowed critics as the fabulous yet daft Lady Elspeth Catton opposite fellow Globe nominee Barry Keoghan as the devious Oliver Quick. Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for daft 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English daffte, daft, defte "well-mannered, gentle, dull, foolish," going back to Old English gedæfte "gentle, mild, meek," adjective derivative of a Germanic base *daƀ- "becoming, fit" (whence also Old English gedafen "appropriate, fitting," Gothic gadaban "to happen, be suitable," with lengthened grade Old English gedēfe "fitting, worthy, quiet, tranquil," Middle Dutch onghedoef "wild, rough," Gothic gadob ist "it is fitting"), going back to dialectal Indo-European *dhabh- or *dhobh-, whence also Old Church Slavic podobati "to become, be fitting," dobrŭ "good, pleasant," Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian dôba, dȍba "time, season," Lithuanian dabà "nature, character," dabnùs "well-dressed, elegant"

Note: The sense progression from Germanic to Modern English is apparently "fit, becoming" to "well-mannered, modest" to "dull, stupid" to "foolish, irrational." See also deft.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of daft was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near daft

Cite this Entry

“Daft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/daft. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

daft

adjective
chiefly British, informal
1
2
: insane, mad
daftly adverb
daftness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on daft

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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