Wordul · all words

adjective · 2 syllables · /'dɒdʒ.i/

DODGY

What does "DODGY" mean?

Dishonest, unreliable, or likely to cause trouble; not to be trusted.

Meanings

  1. Dishonest or of doubtful legality. He bought the watch from a dodgy character at the market. informal
  2. Unreliable, risky, or likely to fail. The wifi here is a bit dodgy, so the call kept dropping. informal
  3. In poor or precarious condition; not quite right or healthy. I'd take the stairs - that lift looks dodgy. informal

Word origin

From the verb 'dodge' ('to evade by trickery') plus the adjective suffix '-y'; chiefly British and Australian colloquial, popularised through the 20th century.

Remember it

Anything DODGY makes you want to DODGE it - the meaning is hiding inside the first four letters.

A little poem

The price was right, the seller smiled too wide-
and something in the deal stepped to one side.

couplet

Wordplay

  • My fitness tracker said the data was dodgy. Turns out it had learned that word from watching me skip the gym.

What it teaches

When a thing keeps slipping out of plain sight, trust the instinct that already named it dodgy.

Quick facts

What does DODGY mean?

Dishonest, unreliable, or likely to cause trouble; not to be trusted.

Is DODGY a valid word?

Yes — DODGY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is DODGY?

DODGY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does DODGY come from?

From the verb 'dodge' ('to evade by trickery') plus the adjective suffix '-y'; chiefly British and Australian colloquial, popularised through the 20th century.

What can DODGY teach us?

When a thing keeps slipping out of plain sight, trust the instinct that already named it dodgy.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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