1
as in hulk
a big clumsy often slow-witted person
it's not polite to call your brother a stupid oaf
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in idiot
a stupid person
anyone who took him for an oaf and tried to cheat him would be in for a nasty surprise
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oaf
Curry in particular is well known for portraying villains (It, Ferngully, The Rocky Horror Picture Show), but doesn't always strike the right balance as the loveable patriarchal oaf.
—
Lee Escobedo, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2022
Adding Paul into the mix as a bumbling oaf (and not even a particularly lovable one) creates an unnecessary love triangle.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2022
Jeremy Allen White stars as a famous chef who returns to Chicago to take over his late brother’s beef joint, and he and his new co-workers — including Ayo Edebiri’s newcomer and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s stubborn oaf — form a system that, usually, works.
—Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 7 July 2022
Austin Theory’s character is literally an oaf who made another foolish decision that led to Johnny Gargano’s loss.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2021
See all Example Sentences for oaf 
Lee Escobedo, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2022
Adding Paul into the mix as a bumbling oaf (and not even a particularly lovable one) creates an unnecessary love triangle.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2022
Jeremy Allen White stars as a famous chef who returns to Chicago to take over his late brother’s beef joint, and he and his new co-workers — including Ayo Edebiri’s newcomer and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s stubborn oaf — form a system that, usually, works.
—Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 7 July 2022
Austin Theory’s character is literally an oaf who made another foolish decision that led to Johnny Gargano’s loss.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2021
See all Example Sentences for oaf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oaf
Noun
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Kadyrov’s fighters were instrumental in the final assault on Donetsk Airport in January, having fought for months to capture the wrecked hulk of buildings that once made up the passenger terminals.—
Nicholas Waller,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Apr. 2015
-
There were literal piles of dead and mangled Russians around the smoldering hulks.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
1 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Of course, there was at least one huge financial loser in all of this: insurance companies.—
Greg Rosalsky,
NPR,
23 Jan. 2025
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That merely raises the dangerous specter of future lawless conduct by other poor losers and undermines the rule of law.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
An underrated gem — not enough people have seen this top-tier season — Squirrels Trip has some fabulous vocals, very funny lyrics, a heavy dose of stupid, and an engaging story.—
Barry Levitt,
Vulture,
19 Apr. 2024
-
The stupid!—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 July 2021
Noun
-
But what are those strange circular lumps in Delores’ jogging bottoms?—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2025
-
Young sets the pair strange tasks, like hurling uncooked dough at a wall (possibly a reference to letting the people eat cake) or kissing each other through that same lump of dough, or screaming in an audience member’s face.—
Helen Shaw,
The New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
As Ray Winstone might say, what a prat.—
Holman W. Jenkins,
WSJ,
29 Mar. 2022
-
Through it all, however, the gal has retained a sort of grand hauteur, even while prat-falling into a bush.—
Lester Fabian Brathwaite,
EW.com,
24 Mar. 2022
Noun
-
And when someone does cross the line, like the louts who doused cops in Harlem and Brownsville with water in 2019, most officers have shown remarkable restraint.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2024
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That’s the memorable insult that James Kennedy (the DJ of the group) hurled at Tom Sandoval (the resident lout) last season after Sandoval — who had a girlfriend — became romantically involved with Kennedy’s ex-girlfriend.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2024
Noun
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In Vermont, a fast-acting witness spotted a struggling 7-year-old mutt in trouble and waded into an icy river up to his waist to reunite the dog with its grateful owner.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
20 Jan. 2025
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Two lively mutts guard the noodle factory on the other side of the fence.—
Anne F. Thurston,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Feb. 2016
Noun
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His affinity for wrestling villains, or heels, adds another layer to his potential return.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
25 Jan. 2025
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His villains include both Presidents Bush; his heroes stretch back to William McKinley but include Richard Nixon, who raised tariffs in response to low-cost manufacturing from Asia, and, Lighthizer insists, Ronald Reagan.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
The New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Oaf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oaf. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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