stodgy

adjective

ˈstä-jē 

stodgier; stodgiest

1

: having a rich filling quality : heavy

stodgy bread

2

: moving in a slow plodding way especially as a result of physical bulkiness

3

: boring, dull

out on a peaceful rather stodgy Sunday boat trip

—Edna Ferber

4

: extremely old-fashioned : hidebound

received a pompously Victorian letter from his stodgy father

—E. E. S. Montagu

5

a

: drab

b

: dowdy

stodgily

ˈstä-jə-lē 

adverb

stodginess

ˈstä-jē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• arid
• boring
• colorless
• drab
• dreary
• drudging
• dry
• dull
• dusty
• flat
• heavy
• ho-hum
• humdrum
• jading
• jejune
• leaden
• mind-numbing
• monochromatic
• monotonous
• numbing
• old
• pedestrian
• ponderous
• slow
• stale
• stuffy
• stupid
• tame
• tedious
• tiresome
• tiring
• uninteresting
• wearisome
• weary
• wearying

Examples of stodgy in a Sentence

the sitcom was offbeat and interesting in its first season, but has since become predictable and stodgy

Recent Examples on the Web

Before long, stodgy Zurich removed the welcome mat. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

Huawei’s innovation has made Apple’s latest models appear stodgy by comparison. —Tripp Mickle, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

stodgy

adjective

ˈstäj-ē 

stodgier; stodgiest

1

: moving in a slow struggling way especially as a result of physical bulkiness

2

: having no excitement or interest : dull, boring

a stodgy day

3

: very old-fashioned in attitude or point of view

stodgily

ˈstäj-ə-lē 

adverb