oafish

[ oh-fish ]

adjective

1. clumsy and stupid; unmannered; loutish:

   He’s not exactly oafish, but he’s no suave sophisticate either.

Other Words From

• oaf·ish·ly adverb
• oaf·ish·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of oafish¹

First recorded in 1680–1700; oaf ( def ) + -ish ¹( def )

Synonym Study

See boorish.

Example Sentences

I looked back at Samir and noticed for the first time that his eyes were sincerely brown, no stain or splatter—when everything else about him was shaggy and oafish.

From Literature

It is, on one level, a crime thriller built from familiar Scorsesean elements: demanding father figures and feckless heirs, treacherous husbands and neglected wives, oafish goons and ruthless assassins, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet the light charm, mostly offered by Shen as the oafish sidekick, serves as a saving grace amid the shadowy political games.

From New York Times

She essentially called environmentalists “boneheaded,” “oafish,” “ham-handed” and “stupider than the right.”

From Washington Post

You shouldn’t deny yourself a good technology because some oafish environmentalist tried to force it on you.

From Washington Post