dodgy

adjective

ˈdä-jē How to pronounce dodgy (audio)
Definition of dodgynext
chiefly British
1
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling getting the trade unions to go along with the agreement will be a rather dodgy piece of work

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means needed a dodgy barrister to get him acquitted of the charge

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in questionable
giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged the authenticity of the "lost" Shakespearean sonnet was more than a little dodgy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dodgy This allows for the eye to fully measure his exploitative changes of speed, and the dodgy shifts in direction that have made him the World Cup’s all-time leading goal scorer. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 18 July 2026 Looking closely at the photo of the letter in The Saturday Salon’s post reveals some dodgy details. — Jay Peters, The Verge, 11 July 2026 Cue a whole host of dodgy deals and shady string-pulling, not to mention an extramarital affair, as the entirely fictional — but no doubt true to life — character abandons any sense of morality. — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026 Millions of Americans with obesity are eager to get the drug, with options being limited so far to enrolling in a clinical trial or trying to obtain it by dodgy methods. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for dodgy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dodgy
  1. difficult
  2. cunning
  3. questionable
  4. tough
  5. cute
  6. dubious
  7. sensitive
  8. slick
Adjective
  • The losses linked to the demise of these groups are difficult to quantify, but participants and advocates say the impacts will reverberate across federal agencies for years.
    — Katia Riddle, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Ground surveys can provide more detailed information at a particular site, but covering an entire subway corridor that way would be difficult.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • Supporters of the administration view this back and forth as a cunning ploy to buy time for the United States to position itself more advantageously for a confrontation.
    — Leonard A. Schuette, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Owen is bamboozled by a cunning opportunist, handcuffed, and robbed in his underwear.
    — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of cunning
Adjective
  • Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley) plays a government agent working in the Department of Alien Affairs, who gets caught up in a world of questionable ethics and violence.
    — Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • She was recently listed as questionable due to a back injury ahead of a game against the Toronto Tempo, but started both games against the expansion team last week.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of questionable
Adjective
  • Space-grade electronics will cost more, and the ball’s shell—made from a material tough enough to roll over steel shards and withstand minus 184 °C temperatures—has never been evaluated in lunar extremes.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Democratic leaders face tough decisions on where to spend limited party resources to win the Senate majority.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • But don’t let the cute style fool you—this look is super practical, too.
    — Kayla Becker, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Continue down Main Street in Catskill to find tons of the cute shops upstate New York is known for, in particular Stay Forever for gifts, Spike’s for records, and Magpie for used books.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of cute
Adjective
  • But the unyielding scrutiny over dubious associations doesn’t cut both ways.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • When his distant goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) shows up with a dubious interest in researching the Dial, Indy is begrudgingly wrangled into One Last Ride.
    — Frank DeRuggiero, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of dubious
Adjective
  • Government debt makes up more than 200% of its gross domestic product, leaving its finances highly sensitive to rising borrowing costs.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • In addition to pressure, the team demonstrated that the same basic glass platform could also be made sensitive to temperature.
    — Pawel Maniewski, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of sensitive
Adjective
  • Paranormal Activity, the play, builds to the sort of slick and grisly finale that would be just right for the end of a cruel horror movie, but that lands awkwardly onstage.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The government’s YouTube series featuring the transportation secretary is slick, well-made and about the Duffys, not the nation.
    — Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of slick

Browse Nearby Words

dodging
dodgy
dodo
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Cite this Entry

“Dodgy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dodgy. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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