doofus

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doofus

/ˈduːfəs/

Rhymes with -uːfəs

Where it comes from

Pseudo-Latinism, possibly an alteration of earlier goofus (first attested in the 1920s) due to influence from Scots doof (“simpleton”). Scots doof is derived from Low German doof (“deaf”, with a secondary sense of “idiotic, stupid”). The Low German word is cognate with English deaf. By surface analysis, doof + Latin -us.

Some have proposed that dupe possibly played some kind of role in the development of doofus as well.

noun doofuses · doofi · dufus

derogatory, humorous, slang A person with poor judgment and taste; a foolish or silly person. Stocks Genius or Dot-Com Doofus? – Wired News
Similar: dingus, boob, dolt, blockhead, lowbrow, oaf

Translations

Every language

noun person with poor judgement and taste

Français	andouille
Русский	обо́лтус obóltus

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MLA

"doofus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/doofus. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

doofus. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/doofus

Chicago

"doofus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/doofus.

BibTeX

@misc{doofus_2026,
  title = {doofus},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/doofus},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}