doofus

Definition

A person with poor judgment and taste; a foolish or silly person.

Etymology

Perhaps 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 Saxon word is cognate with English deaf. Some have proposed that perhaps dupe played some kind of role in the development of doofus as well.

Example Sentences

• "Stocks Genius or Dot-Com Doofus? – Wired News"
• "Danny is such a doofus!"
• "Nichols had called Bonilla a doofus who was too damn stupid to realize that he was being taken by a hooker with a convincing sob story. Even if Steve was a doofus, Nichols and Rand were quite willing to work for him as long as he had money."