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oaf

oaf

19 6.4
A clumsy, awkward person who behaves rudely or carelessly
  • noun
  • /oʊf/
  • Offensive
translation icon : patán
  • Stop acting like such a clumsy oaf at the party; you keep bumping into everyone.
  • a clumsy oaf
  • a big oaf
  • a stupid oaf

But I don't know, like I'm a hopeless romantic and this one does seem like he's just a big oaf.

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Examples

  • With a few hours of effort, she transformed me from a true oaf of the dance floor to a beginning-level student.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • But he knew he would always stand there like an oaf, for some reason ashamed and yet happy.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • - Back off, you big oaf!

  • - Let go, you big oaf!

  • It's a fact that at any moment you could turn into an oaf.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • If he were an oaf, he wouldn't have even come close to the ball.

    Blog text (13)
  • Let us through, you oafs.

  • I felt empathy for the poor oaf Oblomov.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The big oaf reeled back dizzily and clutched his head in pain.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • You stupid, clumsy oaf!

Synonyms

goon
vsoaf
  • Offensive
38 7.8

A person who acts in a silly or clumsy way

is broader and includes social awkwardness or low intelligence more generally
lump
vsoaf
  • Offensive
35 7.7

A person who is awkward or slow to do things

is broader and also stresses poor social skills rather than only slow thinking
lout
vsoaf
  • Offensive
11 7.9

A person who is rude and clumsy in social situations

focuses more on clumsiness or low intelligence rather than rudeness
clod
vsoaf
  • Offensive
9 7.7

A person who behaves awkwardly and seems slow to understand

focuses more on missing social grace and awkwardness rather than blunt stupidity
lummox
vsoaf
  • Offensive
2 9.9

A large clumsy person who often knocks things over

emphasizes lack of social grace as a main defining trait
stumblebum
vsoaf
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is clumsy and acts in a silly, awkward way

covers lack of intelligence or social polish beyond mere clumsy incompetence
lubber
vsoaf
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A clumsy person who is awkward in movement or manners

highlights poor intelligence or rough manners rather than mere inexperience
gawk
vsoaf
  • Offensive
1 8.1

A person who is clumsy and often seems not clever

refers to people who actually lack social grace or intelligence rather than merely seeming so
omadhaun
vsoaf
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is silly or clumsy, often used in Ireland

is the general term used across varieties not limited by region
oik
vsoaf
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A rude young person who acts badly in public

focuses on clumsiness or low intelligence rather than primarily rudeness
looby
vsoaf
  • Offensive
9.9

A clumsy person who often makes silly mistakes

is the common modern label not marked as old fashioned or dated
derf
vsoaf
  • Offensive
9.9

A silly or socially awkward person who acts foolishly

is a neutral general word used in formal as well as informal contexts

How Clumsy

oaf
  • Offensive
19 6.4
klutz
  • Offensive
22 8.2
butterfingers
  • Informal
1 8.1

Surface Forms

oaf singular
oafs plural

Etymology

The word oaf comes from an old word álfr meaning 'elf', and people once used it for a 'changeling', a child thought to be left by elves. Over time that idea of a strange, clumsy child turned into the modern sense: an oaf is a clumsy, awkward person.