oaf

[ ohf ]

/ oʊf /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: oaf / oafishness / oafish on Thesaurus.com

noun

a clumsy, stupid person; lout.

a simpleton; dunce; blockhead.

Archaic.

a deformed or mentally deficient child.
a changeling.

OTHER WORDS FOR oaf

1 churl, boor.

2 dolt, ninny.

See synonyms for oaf on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of oaf

1615–25; variant of auf,Middle English alfe,Old English ælfelf; cognate with German Alp nightmare

synonym study for oaf

1. See boorish.

OTHER WORDS FROM oaf

oafish, adjectiveoaf·ish·ly, adverboaf·ish·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH oaf

oaf , oath

Words nearby oaf

NZSE, NZSO, o', O2O, OA, oaf, oafish, Oahu, oak, oak apple, Oak-apple Day

How to use oaf in a sentence

He’s clearly a dim bulb, there’s very little going on upstairs, and he’s something of an oaf.
Tina Brown Breaks Down the Biggest Royal Family Revelations From Her New Book|Charlie Campbell / London|April 25, 2022|Time
The big oaf is a couch potato, not a leader for the blind, or for the seeing.
Dog Books: Loving Dogs and Michael Vick’s Crimes Reviewed|Elizabeth Hess|November 10, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Shakespeare refers to elves as ouphes, which is the same word as oaf and was formerly spelt aulf.
Archaic England|Harold Bayley
Gerda was out there still, with her brother and the oaf—whose name, Forrester had discovered, was Alvin Sherdlap.
Pagan Passions|Gordon Randall Garrett

Strange to say, the oaf seemed to be shedding tears and the quick sympathy went out from Emily's bosom, in spite of the past.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy
Then the oaf rose and looked down upon his work, with a childish pleasure.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy
The oaf began muttering in a low, indistinct murmur, like one soothing a child.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy

British Dictionary definitions for oaf

oaf

/ (əʊf) /

noun

a stupid or loutish person

Derived forms of oaf

oafish, adjectiveoafishly, adverboafishness, noun

Word Origin for oaf

C17: variant of Old English ælf elf

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012