What it means
Naff is the go-to word for something tacky, cheesy, or trying way too hard to look cool and failing. It’s not just rubbish, it’s cringe rubbish. You can have a naff outfit, naff décor, or a naff joke that dies in the air. Old-school British slang, it popped up through Polari and stuck around.
Usage examples
"He rocked up to the work do in a shiny waistcoat and pointy shoes. Everyone smiled, then muttered under their breath, proper naff, mate."
"The hotel lobby was pure naff, plastic gold columns and a fountain that gurgled like a blocked sink, and we loved it for all the wrong reasons."
Where it comes from
British slang of uncertain root, spread through Polari, the coded gay slang of mid-century theatre. Naff settled as the word for anything tacky and cringingly uncool.
Other ways to say it
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