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Definition of oafishly

oafishly

/ˈoʊ.fɪʃ.li/
oaf · ish · ly
Adjective:oafish
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oafishly Lexical Profile

oafishly Game Scores & Validity

• adverb

1

In a clumsy, awkward, slow-witted, or unmannerly way.

Example

"He grinned oafishly after accidentally knocking over the display stand in the quiet gallery."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for oafishly
Antonyms
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• Nearby Words

nyssa
oaf
oafish
oafishly
oafishness
oak
oaked

Word Origin & Etymology

Derived from the noun 'oaf', a 17th-century alteration of the older dialectal 'auf' or 'aulf' (from Old Norse 'álfr', meaning 'elf'), which originally referred to a goblin's changeling left in place of a human child.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Oafishly. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/oafishly
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