daffy

adjective

daf·​fy ˈda-fē How to pronounce daffy (audio)
daffier; daffiest
: silly or strange often in a way that is funny
a daffy comedy/character
her daffy charm
As a hotshot physician stranded in the daffy small town of Grady, S.C., Michael J. Fox performs with his usual Swiss-watch timing.Owen Gleiberman
But the most successful of her paintings assuage all doubts. They are congeries of daffy cartoonish shapes in stretched canvas or jigsawed wood, thickly painted in rich, loud, chafing colors and arrayed on the wall in roughly rectangular layouts.Peter Schjeldahl
daffily adverb
a daffily entertaining video

Examples of daffy in a Sentence

The actress is starring in a daffy new comedy this summer. The book is filled with daffy characters.
Recent Examples on the Web Both characters are looking to upgrade their circumstances, but whereas Winnifred is blithely confident, Lovett is daffy and desperate. Michael Paulson, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2024 Such tortured, brooding souls have crossed over into pop culture rom-coms, such as the daffy Twilight series or the cutesy Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023). Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 14 Feb. 2024 Original star Seyfried and Avantika, who plays the beloved character in the new musical reimagining, shared an Instagram snap together on Thursday, both mimicking Karen's daffy nature. Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 12 Jan. 2024 Oxford student who gloms onto his rich classmate Felix (played by Jacob Elordi), and Pike plays Felix’s mother Elspeth, the daffy matriarch of the Saltburn estate. Kate Aurthur, Variety, 11 Dec. 2023 Season 4 brings more of the show’s signature elaborate custom wigs, over-the-top accents and daffy scenarios, including a Senate hearing on livestreaming raunchy bachelorette parties and a tea-spilling talk show hosted secretly in a workplace ladies’ restroom. Leigh-Ann Jackson, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023 But the show has a light, even daffy touch. Darren Franich, EW.com, 22 Sep. 2022 Many are embedded with a daffy smile. Matthew Schneier, Curbed, 14 Sep. 2021 Randolph's harried, brutally honest Beth and Patti Harrison, as a daffy social-media manager, also regularly manage to steal their scenes from the margins. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'daffy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

obsolete English daff, noun, fool

First Known Use

circa 1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of daffy was circa 1884

Dictionary Entries Near daffy

Cite this Entry

“Daffy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/daffy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

daffy

adjective
daf·​fy ˈdaf-ē How to pronounce daffy (audio)
daffier; daffiest
: silly, odd, or peculiar usually in an amusing way
a daffy spy story
also : attracted to or fascinated with
daffy over cars
daffy about stamp collecting
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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