In this study, we synthesized amine functionalized cellulose nanofiber based adsorbent for effective removal of dissolved fluoride ions from groundwater samples. Cellulose acetate was electrospun into nanofibers followed by deacetylation to yield cellulose nanofibers which were then treated with ethylenediamine to prepare amine functionalized cellulose fabric to be used as an adsorbent. As- synthesized adsorbent was first characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for physiochemical characteristics. Fluoride adsorption studies were then carried out under batch mode to study the influence of various parameters on adsorption process. Amine functionalized cellulose nanofibrous mat was found to be effective with high adsorption efficiency for removal of fluoride ions from aqueous solution, even at low fluoride concentrations (< 5 mg L −1 ). Adsorption mechanism of fluoride onto prepared cellulose nanofibers based adsorbent was explained from the studies of isotherms, kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. Field studies conducted using this amine functionalized cellulose nanofibrous mat revealed the suitability and effectiveness of adsorbent for fluoride removal from contaminated groundwater. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.