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Glite Dictionary
so naff

so naff

9.6
A person or thing that looks very old-fashioned and cheap
  • idiom
  • /səʊ næf/
  • Slang
translation icon : tan cutre
  • It may be well coded and structured, but the look and feel of the site is so naff, I'd hesitate to use such a product.

Examples

  • Her outfit was so naff that everyone at the party was laughing about it behind her back.

  • He thought the decoration in the cafe was so naff that it made the place feel uncomfortable.

  • The movie received terrible reviews because the special effects were so naff that they distracted from the story.

Synonyms

tacky
vsso naff
  • Informal
68 4.3

Showy in a cheap way that looks bad

is broader and more intense meaning very poor quality or uncool
cheesy
vsso naff
  • Informal
32 4.3

Looks low quality and cheaply made, like a plastic toy

is harsher and implies a stronger sense of being uncool or low quality
fuddy
vsso naff
  • Archaic
11 9.9

Old-fashioned and not open to new ideas

is stronger and refers to extreme uncoolness and bad taste
naff
vsso naff
  • Slang
2 9.9

Not stylish and looking cheap or embarrassing

is a much stronger, very negative informal judgement
unstylish
vsso naff
1 3.7

Not fashionable or elegant in appearance

is more negative and can mean very out of fashion or poor taste
tatty
vsso naff
  • UK
7.4

Showy and cheap in a way that looks low quality

is more about being very unfashionable and low in quality

Antonyms

cool
  • Informal
∞ 2.2

Fashionable and attractive to many people

stylish
85 2.0

Clothes or rooms that look fashionable and attractive

high-quality
68 2.7

Very good and done with care

How Tacky

so naff
  • Slang
9.6
tacky
  • Informal
68 4.3
naff
  • Slang
2 9.9
uncool
  • Informal
40 7.4
old-fashioned
149 4.7

Surface Forms

so naff positive

Morphology

so + naff

The phrase is a straightforward composition of the intensifier 'so' + the adjective 'naff' (lacking style), so its meaning 'very uncool/tacky' is directly derivable from the parts. While 'naff' is informal/regional British slang, the grammatical intensifier + adjective pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings will understand the MWE.

Etymology

So naff comes from the old slang word naff, which sailors and performers used to call something 'rubbish' or not good. Picture a cheap, ugly thing people laugh at — that's why so naff means 'very uncool' or 'tacky'.