fishy

[ fish-ee ]

adjective

, fish·i·er, fish·i·est.

1. like a fish in shape, smell, taste, or the like.
2. consisting of fish.
3. abounding in fish.
4. Informal. improbable, as a story; unlikely.
5. Informal. of questionable character; suspicious:

   The sudden knockout was fishy.

   Synonyms: dubious, suspect, strange, queer, peculiar

6. dull and expressionless:

   fishy eyes.

fishy

/ ˈfɪʃɪ /

adjective

1. of, involving, or suggestive of fish
2. abounding in fish
3. informal.
   suspicious, doubtful, or questionable

   their leaving at the same time looked fishy

4. dull and lifeless

   a fishy look

Derived Forms

• ˈfishily, adverb
• ˈfishiness, noun

Other Words From

• fishi·ly adverb
• fishi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fishy¹

First recorded in 1540–50; fish + -y ¹

Example Sentences

A pungent, fishy odor has been wafting through the air by Los Angeles’ shore this week, an unfortunate consequence of beautiful bioluminescent algae.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s been intermittently smelling very fishy and stinky since then, especially when the wind is low.”

From Los Angeles Times

This will remove any fishy smell or taste.

From Salon

From there, the chatbot set about making the case that there was nothing fishy going on.

From Los Angeles Times

Therefore, soy sauce with a strong aroma was preferred to mask the fishy odor.

From Salon

Related Words

• dubious
• odd