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

Relevance

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 Hobbs told me that his visitors are mainly interested in visiting Blackpool’s more sanitized offerings, but have a sense of curiosity about its dodgier elements. — George Francis Lee, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026 But while ripoffs and dodgy reboots are common in horror, some of the weirdest unauthorized sequels are the result of an obsessed fan self-financing a tribute to their favorite movie. — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026 The takeaway here is that the act of searching for dodgy movie downloads, be they of The Odyssey or another movie, can be just as dangerous as the actual download itself in terms of the malware risk. — Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026 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 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
  • Jarman, who came in as the defending champion on the event, put together a more difficult routine but was nicked by judges for his execution.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • This is the last remaining game on the schedule that should be very difficult.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • Magpies are opportunistic scavengers, incredibly cunning and deceitful and capable of calculated deception.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Last week, Alan Cumming’s cunning competition empire The Traitors unsheathed its most diabolical twist yet.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of cunning
Adjective
  • Puka Nacua shined despite entering the game questionable with a calf injury and Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined for nearly 200 rushing yards.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • He was listed as questionable to return as he was examined in the injury tent.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of questionable
Adjective
  • Winning means making much tougher decisions about what to put on the floor.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Flournoy made some tough grabs downfield, and Lamb punctuated the night with two touchdown grabs.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • At their on-screen meet cute, Apatow hands Bamford $500 cash just to pitch her on her own documentary.
    — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The showstopper is a very cute idea where each baker has to make a dessert cart with at least three classic desserts on it.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of cute
Adjective
  • Populated almost entirely by impossibly wealthy characters reveling in penthouse splendor, the Astaire-Rogers movies argued with high style against the proposition that the material and social rewards of wealth were dubious.
    — David Hajdu, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
  • If Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is to be believed, America will soon gain the dubious distinction of joining the only four countries on the globe that carry out executions in public.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of dubious
Adjective
  • Some highly sensitive issues include relations with the European Union and Russia, but the primary focus will be dealing with corruption.
    — JOVANA GEC, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • There may be time-sensitive observations or decisions that need to be made before any instruction could arrive.
    — Dr. Najwa Aaraj, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of sensitive
Adjective
  • Walid Itayim plays a free and funky guitar solo over Sami Shabshab’s slick bassline, but the lyrics pierce straight through the upbeat tune.
    — Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • And belief isn’t manufactured by marketing departments, slick hype videos or breathless preseason predictions.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of slick

Browse Nearby Words

dodging
dodgy
dodo
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dodgy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dodgy. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All