shoddy
Americanadjective
-
of poor quality or inferior workmanship.
a shoddy bookcase.
-
intentionally rude or inconsiderate; shabby.
shoddy behavior.
noun
plural
shoddies-
a fibrous material obtained by shredding unfelted rags or waste.
-
anything inferior, especially a handmade item or manufactured product.
adjective
-
imitating something of better quality
-
of poor quality; trashy
-
made of shoddy material
noun
-
a yarn or fabric made from wool waste or clippings
-
anything of inferior quality that is designed to simulate superior quality
Other Word Forms
- half-shoddy adjective
- shoddily adverb
- shoddiness noun
Etymology
Origin of shoddy
First recorded in 1825–35; origin uncertain
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.
When Slovakia was part of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the cars it made were, by Western standards, shoddy, noisy, thirsty and slow.
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026
Anyone who has worked for a wage has shared space with someone whose work was so shoddy that it made you angry to receive the same salary at week’s end.
From Salon • Jan. 14, 2026
Cobb didn’t find much to read about menopause, beyond shoddy research and medical tracts which trivialized or pathologized what she knew to be a natural phase of life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026
Yet they also had the sharpest production losses over the past two decades, partly due to routine water-flooding and shoddy maintenance.
From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026
“In all my years as a guardian, I have never seen such shoddy social work! ”
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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.
