shoddy

noun

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shod·dy | \ ˈshä-dē

Definition of shoddy

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a reclaimed wool from materials that are not felted that is of better quality and longer staple than mungo

b : a fabric often of inferior quality manufactured wholly or partly from reclaimed wool

2a : inferior, imitative, or pretentious articles or matter

b : pretentious vulgarity

shoddy

adjective

shoddier; shoddiest

Definition of shoddy (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : made wholly or partly of shoddy

2a : cheaply imitative : vulgarly pretentious shoddy merchandise

b : hastily or poorly done : inferior shoddy workmanship

c : shabby, disreputable shoddy business deals

Other Words from shoddy Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About shoddy

Examples of shoddy in a Sentence

Adjective They gave a shoddy performance. shoddy merchandise that soon fell to pieces

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Recycled pop bottles are made into carpets and seat linings, and cotton shoddy—used to make blue jeans—is recycled and turned into sound insulation. — Katherine Lagrave, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 July 2018 That never quite offset his shoddy blocking, unfortunately, which cost him playing time last season. — Andy Benoit, SI.com, 8 May 2018 Coby Fleener is too unreliable as a receiver to offset his shoddy blocking. — Andy Benoit, SI.com, 25 Apr. 2018 Only traditional organic feeds such as the shoddy are allowed — Craig Ballinger, Slate Magazine, 20 Mar. 2017 In her motion for exoneration, filed in Wyandotte County District Court in June 2016, Pilate laid out a story of false arrest, conviction and imprisonment involving a shoddy and corrupted police investigation as well as prosecutorial misconduct. — Eric Adler, kansascity.com, 26 Apr. 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The commission documented the deaths of thousands of children at the school but said the figure was probably an undercount, in part because record-keeping was shoddy. — Amanda Coletta, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Jan. 2022 The commission documented the deaths of thousands of children at the school but said the figure was probably an undercount, in part because record-keeping was shoddy. — Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2022 The shoddy play early ultimately didn’t mean much against another inferior opponent, as Auburn put its foot on the gas after halftime, scoring 35 points in the third quarter to put Alabama State away. — Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 11 Sep. 2021 Christian Arroyo hit a two-run single in Boston's three-run fourth inning, and the Red Sox took advantage of Miami's shoddy play Monday to hold off the Marlins 5-3 for their fifth straight victory. — Ken Powtak, Star Tribune, 7 June 2021 If another business gets called out for a string of customer fulfillment shortfalls or mismatches caused by running a shoddy IT architecture, the market will eventually notice the problem - these days in the shorter term, rather than the long haul. — Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2021 Birge had to wonder if Zain's shoddy work was at fault: The man had attacked his wife while experiencing a bout of dementia during the trial, but the center had never reported the incident. — Brendan I. Koerner, Wired, 12 Oct. 2021 Much of the tens of billions of dollars in occupation money was gobbled up by corrupt defense contractors who turned in shoddy work or straight-up fleeced the taxpayer. — Ryan Cooper, The Week, 21 Aug. 2021 Safer said the shoddy investigation turned up no evidence that Bolden had been involved in the drug deal and no physical or forensic evidence tied him to the murder scene. — Jason Meisner, chicagotribune.com, 29 Oct. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shoddy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.