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 The characters in Slow Horses, Lamb among them, can sometimes feel like daffy sitcom archetypes that have been air-dropped into a Michael Bay movie. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2024 There’s a solid stretch of episodes late in the season, but most of what comes before is pleasantly daffy yet forgettable. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2024 Johansson, 39, thought Jost was a natural fit for the role of a daffy senator. Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 13 July 2024 Nasim Pedrad shakes the cobwebs off the movie in a very funny sequence as a daffy real estate agent, giving everyone a lot to play against. Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 2 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for daffy 

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 4 Nov. 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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