Bafta

//ˈbæftə// name, noun

name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A mask sculpture, similar in purpose to an Oscar, awarded for excellence in film, television, etc.

    "Ariana DeBose is doing her “thing” and trying to roll with the punches after this weekend’s BAFTA Film Awards in London. […] Under a popular Instagram post rounding up some of the most amusing memes generated from her BAFTAs performance, the actress commented on Monday, “Honestly I love this.”"

  2. 2
    A coarse material, usually of cotton, originally made in India. countable, uncountable

    "But really I have never heard that the up-country vrouwen were in such a violent hurry for baftas and punjums but what the ox-wagons and local stores there could keep them supplied."

  3. 3
    Alternative form of BAFTA. alt-of, alternative
  4. 4
    An imitation of this fabric. countable, uncountable
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    Former free trade area in Eastern Europe superseded by the EU in 2004. historical

Example

More examples

"Ariana DeBose is doing her “thing” and trying to roll with the punches after this weekend’s BAFTA Film Awards in London. […] Under a popular Instagram post rounding up some of the most amusing memes generated from her BAFTAs performance, the actress commented on Monday, “Honestly I love this.”"

Etymology

Etymology 1

Acronym of British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which presents the awards.

Etymology 2

Acronym of Baltic Free Trade Area.

Etymology 3

Uncertain. Possibly from Persian بافته (“woven, wrought”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.