Meaning

(slang) Anything that is old or of inferior quality..

Definitions by Sense

1. (slang) Anything that is old or of inferior quality.
2. (computing, slang) Redundant, old or improperly written code, especially that which accumulates over time.
3. (film, slang) Meaningless or gratuitous content displayed on computer consoles in visual entertainment productions.
4. (computing, slang) To generate cruft.

Example Sentences

Students “still think of privacy as ‘the one secret I don’t want revealed,’ and that’s not the problem. Their problem is all the stuff that’s the cruft, the data dandruff, of life, that they don’t think of as secret in any way, but which aggregates to stuff that they don't want anybody to know,” Moglen said.

The document just goes on at length in the same way, picking out the sort of cruft that’s been littering Trump’s Twitter feed since Nov. 3 and tying it all into one stinky package. It’s sincerely not worth running through the entire litany again; simply consider The Post’s Fact Checker articles as an effective rejoinder.

The PEB includes the list of loaded modules (i.e., the EXE and DLLs), the memory containing environment strings, the current working directory, and data for managing the process’ heaps—as well as lots of special-case Win32 cruft that has been added over time.

Best developer practices run the gamut from keeping the cruft out of your code to ensuring your code is accessible to all your application or site’s users.

Sawyer cites responses to a message saying "there is cruft in [Perl]" as the excuse some Perl community members used to "push him into a corner" until he deactivated his Twitter account.

Word Forms

• crufts
• crufting
• crufted

Synonyms for cruft

Related Words

When Should You Use Cruft?

Use cruft when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions