Meaning & use
daft
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Silly or lacking good sense, usually in a mild or teasing way.
Grammar: Can be graded: daft, dafter, daftest; can come before a noun or after be.
Patterns
- daft to do something
- a daft idea
Don't be daft, of course you can come along.
It was a daft idea to cycle in the storm.
He made a daft joke and everyone groaned.
adjectiveafter a verbinformal
Very keen on, or crazy about, something or someone.
Grammar: Used after be with about: she is daft about horses.
Patterns
- daft about something
- daft on someone
My brother is daft about football.
She is daft on her new puppy.
The kids are daft about anything with wheels.
Word forms
| comparative | dafter |
|---|---|
| superlative | daftest |
Common combinations
- a daft idea
- It's a daft idea, but it might just work.
- don't be daft
- Don't be daft, you don't need to pay me back.
- daft question
- Sorry for the daft question, but where's the exit?
- daft as a brush
- He's daft as a brush but terribly kind.
- daft about
- She is daft about her garden.
Synonyms and how they differ
- silly
- Silly is the common, milder everyday word, while daft sounds more distinctly British.
- foolish
- Foolish suggests a poor decision with possible consequences, which makes it more serious than daft.
- barmy
- Barmy is a stronger British slang word for crazy, with a more comic edge than daft.
Opposites
Word family
- daftness noun
- silliness
- daftly adverb
- in a silly way
- daftie noun
- a silly person (informal)
Commonly confused: daft or draft?
daft vs draft
A draft is an early version of a text or a current of air; it sounds similar but is spelled differently.
Practice
'Don't be daft' is a way of saying:
Choose one answer.
Daft means silly, and the phrase gently tells someone they are being silly. The other options change the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “daft”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.