Synonyms of dodgy

dodgy

adjective

ˈdä-jē 

chiefly British

1

as in difficult

requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling

getting the trade unions to go along with the agreement will be a rather dodgy piece of work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• difficult
• tough
• sensitive
• problematic
• complicated
• sticky
• tricky
• nasty
• delicate
• problem
• serious
• thorny
• hairy
• touchy
• hard
• tricksy
• complex
• catchy
• knotty
• painful
• spiny
• ticklish
• prickly
• troublesome
• intricate
• recondite
• abstruse
• abstract
• involved
• stubborn
• worrisome
• vexing
• vexatious
• inconvenient
• oppressive
• scabrous
• onerous
• stressful
• troublous
• demanding
• burdensome
• exacting
• exhausting
• importunate
• discommoding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• simple
• straightforward
• uncomplicated
• manageable
• painless
• effortless
• unproblematic
• undemanding

2

as in cunning

clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means

needed a dodgy barrister to get him acquitted of the charge

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cunning
• cute
• slick
• fraudulent
• subtle
• deceptive
• dishonest
• crooked
• tricky
• treacherous
• wily
• crafty
• sly
• beguiling
• shrewd
• shady
• designing
• artful
• foxy
• devious
• cagey
• scheming
• guileful
• deceitful
• slippery
• unscrupulous
• calculating
• sharp
• clandestine
• shifty
• sneaky
• undercover
• astute
• glib
• oblique
• covert
• circular
• hypocritical
• plotting
• serpentine
• underhanded
• underhand
• roundabout
• secret
• knavish
• Machiavellian
• facile
• surreptitious
• insincere
• circuitous
• concealed
• insinuating
• furtive
• stealthy
• backhanded
• mealy
• two-faced
• smooth-tongued
• double-dealing
• mealymouthed
• left-handed
• hugger-mugger

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obvious
• innocent
• artless
• real
• ingenuous
• public
• guileless
• plain
• simple
• open
• direct
• honest
• straightforward
• unaffected
• natural
• unsophisticated
• forthright
• frank
• unpretentious
• sincere
• outspoken
• unconcealed
• patent
• candid
• impressionable
• unvarnished
• childlike
• undesigning
• unworldly
• aboveboard
• unpretending
• simpleminded
• trusting
• unforced
• unstudied
• plainspoken
• trustful

3

as in questionable

giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged

the authenticity of the "lost" Shakespearean sonnet was more than a little dodgy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• questionable
• dubious
• suspicious
• problematic
• disputable
• doubtful
• debatable
• suspect
• shaky
• fishy
• shady
• ambiguous
• alleged
• queer
• equivocal
• unclear
• dubitable
• doubtable
• weak
• unlikely
• uncertain
• supposed
• moot
• improbable
• flimsy
• so-called
• undetermined
• undecided
• open
• far-fetched

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• certain
• sure
• indisputable
• unquestionable
• unproblematic
• undeniable
• undoubted
• incontestable
• indubitable
• decisive
• definitive
• obvious
• questionless
• positive
• clear
• hands-down
• open-and-shut

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dodgy

This allows for the eye to fully measure his exploitative changes of speed, and the dodgy shifts in direction that have made him the World Cup’s all-time leading goal scorer. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 18 July 2026

Looking closely at the photo of the letter in The Saturday Salon’s post reveals some dodgy details. — Jay Peters, The Verge, 11 July 2026

Cue a whole host of dodgy deals and shady string-pulling, not to mention an extramarital affair, as the entirely fictional — but no doubt true to life — character abandons any sense of morality. — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026

Millions of Americans with obesity are eager to get the drug, with options being limited so far to enrolling in a clinical trial or trying to obtain it by dodgy methods. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026