Etymology

Perhaps from PolariCategory:English terms derived from Polari#NAFF, 1960s.^[1] Further etymology unknownCategory:English terms with unknown etymologies#NAFF; perhaps a conscious corruption of either fanny or eff (off) (see naff off).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /næf/Category:English 1-syllable words#NAFFCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#NAFF

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#NAFF
• Rhymes: -æfCategory:Rhymes:English/æf#NAFFCategory:Rhymes:English/æf/1 syllable#NAFF

Adjective

naff (comparative naffer, superlative naffest)Category:English lemmas#NAFFCategory:English adjectives#NAFFCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#NAFFCategory:Pages with entries#NAFFCategory:Pages with 2 entries#NAFF

1. (BritishCategory:British English#NAFF, IrelandCategory:Irish English#NAFF, CommonwealthCategory:Commonwealth English#NAFF, colloquialCategory:English colloquialisms#NAFF, PolariCategory:Polari#NAFF) Bad; tasteless, poorly thought out, not workable.

   That tie is a bit naff, don’t you think?Category:English terms with usage examples#NAFF

   • 1998, Robert Llewellyn, The Man on Platform Five, London: Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 291:

     She was an ordinary woman in her dress style; she didn't wear a leather bodice or naff over-knee plastic spiky-heeled boots.

     Category:English terms with quotations#NAFF

   • 2004, J. J. Connolly, Layer Cake, spoken by XXXX (Daniel Craig):

     I mean ten years ago a bit of charlie was for pop stars or a celebrities birthday bash. It was demonized by Daily Mail Readers getting drunk in naff wine bars.

     Category:English terms with quotations#NAFF

   • 2012, Simon Doonan, Gay men don't get fat, New York: Blue Rider Press, →ISBN, page 206:

     Remember, “tacky” means “cheap or glitzy”, whereas “naff” is about stylistic shortcomings which are horrifyingly average and pathetically ordinary. The Jersey Shore is tacky, but The Bachelor is naff.

     Category:English terms with quotations#NAFF

   • 2019 February 24, Barbara Ellen, “Amy Winehouse could belt out a tune – her naff hologram can’t”, in The Guardian‎:

     A mere seven years after her tragic death, isn’t it grim and tasteless to send her hologram off on some naff tour?

     Category:English terms with quotations#NAFF

   • 2023 May 13, John Naughton, “A moment’s silence, please, for the death of Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse”, in The Observer‎, →ISSN:

     Note that last phrase: what actually emerged was a virtual-reality platform called Horizon Worlds, accessible only via naff and clunky Oculus headsets (think an uncomfortable version of Zoom) […]

     Category:English terms with quotations#NAFF

   • 2025 June 13, Marina Hyde, “So social media has broken even Elon Musk. I’m forced to ask: U OK hun?”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     Did you see Elon Musk apologise for some tweets this week? (Please don’t be naff and call them “X posts”.)

     Category:English terms with quotations#NAFF

2. (PolariCategory:Polari#NAFF) Heterosexual.
   • 2004, Pip Granger, Trouble In Paradise:

     The omie was a veritable donkey beneath the waistband, darlings. A donkey! No wonder your boss-palone is so smitten. I've seen my share, dollies, but this old omiepalone was shaken to the core. Such a terrible waste on a naff bloke.

     Category:English terms with quotations#NAFF

See also

• niff-naff

References

Further reading

• “naff”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “naff”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “naff adj.¹”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present.
• “naff adj.²”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present.
• “naff”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• FNAF, FNaF

Noun

naffCategory:Middle English alternative forms#NAFFCategory:Middle English entries with incorrect language header#NAFFCategory:Pages with entries#NAFFCategory:Pages with 2 entries#NAFF

1. (NorthernCategory:Northern Middle English#NAFF) alternative form of nave