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Synonyms

dodgy

American  
[doj-ee] / ˈdɒdʒ i /

adjective

dodgier, dodgiest

  1. inclined to dodge.

  2. evasively tricky.

    a dodgy manner of dealing with people.

  3. Chiefly British. risky; hazardous; chancy.

dodgy British  
/ ˈdɒdʒɪ /

adjective

  1. risky, difficult, or dangerous

  2. uncertain or unreliable; tricky

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dodgy

First recorded in 1860–65; dodge + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"We just missed out on goal difference last season for the Champions League with a bit of a dodgy decision at Old Trafford," he remembers.

From BBC

“We should worry about tight lending standards getting that bit tighter, lower rated credit spreads getting priced that bit wider, and perceived dodgy or vulnerable exposures coming under more scrutiny.”

From Barron's

"I'm not ill very often but I remember the norovirus was rife at the time and I started to feel very dodgy," she later told The Sun.

From BBC

She meant that the ladder was dodgy and the floorboards up there were weak.

From Literature

Last year, thanks to unusually cloudy water and dodgy ice, the figure was cut to 5.3%.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.