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naff

naff

2 9.9
Not stylish and looking cheap or embarrassing
  • adjective
  • /næf/
  • Slang
translation icon : de mala calidad
  • His jokes were old and naff, but everyone laughed out of politeness.

Examples

  • The restaurant's decor was so naff that we decided to eat somewhere else.

  • Do you have any idea how naff people think we are?

  • Yeah, well, it's naff, anyway.

  • Well, yeah, this episode was a bit naff, but I'm still going to watch it as normal.

    Blog text (20)
  • The doctor who bit at the end just sounded really naff.

    Blog text (20)
  • I agree that the show has got to the point where it can be naff in places, but not that it has suddenly happened with this episode.

    Blog text (20)
  • Like the conversation around self-publishing, a lot of the conversation about live-writing is likely to be 'look at how naff this is!'

    Blog text (14)
  • 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.

    Blog text (6)
  • Valerie's fashions were pretty much as naff as Sharron's, but her dresses were usually much shorter.

    Blog text (2)
  • The dialogue is corny, the character names are naff (small thing, but it gives a sheen of non-quality to the proceedings), and the entire second half of the story is a routine conveyor belt of deaths.

    Blog text (10)

Synonyms

tacky
vsnaff
  • Informal
68 4.3

Showy in a cheap way that looks bad

covers bad taste or low quality more broadly, not only showiness
trashy
vsnaff
  • Informal
37 3.7

Cheap and low quality that looks ugly or not stylish

includes poor taste as well as simple unfashionability rather than only low worth
tawdry
vsnaff
24 7.8

A thing that looks showy but is cheap and low quality

is broader, covering unfashionable or low-quality items beyond mere flashiness
tasteless
vsnaff
18 3.9

Showing bad style or manners that offend people

focuses more generally on being unfashionable or low quality rather than only taste
schlocky
vsnaff
  • Informal
1 9.1

A thing that is cheap and badly made and shows little taste

emphasizes poor appearance or unfashionability beyond mere cheap manufacture
unstylish
vsnaff
1 3.7

Not fashionable or elegant in appearance

adds a judgment of poor taste or low quality beyond mere lack of fashion
naf
vsnaff
  • Slang
9.9

Not fashionable and showing bad taste

is the same meaning but appears as an alternative informal form
so naff
vsnaff
  • Slang
9.6

A person or thing that looks very old-fashioned and cheap

is the basic term for being unfashionable or in poor taste
tatty
vsnaff
  • UK
7.4

Showy and cheap in a way that looks low quality

is wider, applying to unfashionable or poor-quality items not only flashy ones
rubbishy
vsnaff
  • UK
7.0

Cheap and poorly made

adds the sense of bad taste or unfashionability rather than only low value
punkish
vsnaff
  • Offensive
9.3

Shabby and of low quality or value

is the general label for unfashionable or tasteless items rather than the dated tone

Antonyms

85 2.6

Popular now because it follows the current style

41 3.9

Showing good style and polite manners

23 2.6

Something that is very good and lasts a long time

Idioms

so naff
  • Slang
9.6

A person or thing that looks very old-fashioned and cheap

How Unstylish

garish
16 6.7
tacky
  • Informal
68 4.3
naff
  • Slang
2 9.9
old-fashioned
149 4.7
uncool
  • Informal
40 7.4

Surface Forms

naff positive

Etymology

Naff comes from British slang and probably from the old phrase naff off, which was used to tell someone to 'go away' or say something is 'no good'. So naff came to mean 'not stylish', 'of poor quality', or 'in bad taste'.