SINCE 1828

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1

shoddy

play

noun shod·dy \ ˈshä-dē \

Definition of shoddy

1 a :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

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

b :pretentious vulgarity

Recent Examples of shoddy from the Web

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, "Falsely imprisoned for 23 years? Court to hear evidence on freeing Lamonte McIntyre," 26 Apr. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of shoddy

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1832

See Words from the same year

2

shoddy

adjective

Definition of shoddy

shoddier; shoddiest

1 :made wholly or partly of shoddy

2 a :cheaply imitative :vulgarly pretentious

shoddy merchandise

b :hastily or poorly done :inferior

shoddy workmanship

c :shabby, disreputable

shoddy business deals

—

shoddily

play \ˈshä-də-lē\ adverb

—

shoddiness

play \ˈshä-dē-nəs\ noun

See shoddy defined for English-language learners

See shoddy defined for kids

Examples of shoddy in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of shoddy from the Web

The Tigers could have done better, the thinking went, plucking a sitting Power 5 head coach or a hot young assistant instead of settling for an in-house candidate with a shoddy tenure at the helm of a different SEC program on his CV.

— chris johnson, SI.com, "The 10 Most Meaningful Games of Week 1," 30 Aug. 2017
One of his previous defense lawyers was the subject of an investigation by the Florida Supreme Court, after a federal judge chided her for shoddy work.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Florida to execute first inmate since death penalty was reinstated," 22 Aug. 2017
The Grenfell fire exposed the shoddy standards and lax regulations governing Britain’s housing stock.

— simon montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, "Grenfell fire casts harsh light on London's dwindling low-income housing," 18 Aug. 2017
But building a statue of someone is an awfully shoddy method of purporting to recognize their noble accomplishments while simultaneously acknowledging their serious flaws.

— jay willis, GQ, "America Doesn’t Need Statues to Remind Us of Our Past," 17 Aug. 2017
Flood-zone maps are outdated and inadequate, leading to shoddy risk assessment.

— michelle cottle, The Atlantic, "Can Congress Bring the National Flood Insurance Program Above Water?," 5 Aug. 2017
Of the 60, most were so shoddy that their results were unreliable.

— marisa taylor, Kaiser Health News, "When Wounds Won’t Heal, Therapies Spread — To The Tune Of $5 Billion," 3 Aug. 2017
The ship was shot through with shoddy workmanship, sloppy cabling and constant breakdowns.

— jeffrey kluger, Time, "'Countdown' Podcast Episode 3: The Tragedy of Apollo 1," 3 Aug. 2017
Yet even in the darkness, McCulloch’s disinterest, and his shoddy voice, overshadowed everything else.

— piet levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Violent Femmes thrills at its Milwaukee homecoming, but Echo & the Bunnymen underwhelm," 22 July 2017

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.

First Known Use of shoddy

1847

shoddy Synonyms

Synonyms

bad, bargain-basement, bum, cheapjack, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy [slang], cut-rate, el cheapo, execrable, gimcrack, inferior, junky, lousy, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, poor, rotten, rubbishy, schlock (or schlocky also shlock or shlocky), second-rate, cheap, sleazy, terrible, trashy, trumpery, wretched

Antonyms

excellent, fine, first-class, first-rate, good, high-grade, superior, top-notch

Related Words

useless, valueless, worthless; indifferent, lackluster, second-class; brummagem, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, kitsch, kitschy, meretricious, ostentatious, showy, splashy, swank (or swanky), tawdry; seedy, shabby, tacky; counterfeit, fake, phony (also phoney), sham; supercheap, ultracheap

Near Antonyms

elegant, handsome, tasteful; handcrafted, polished, refined

SHODDY Defined for English Language Learners

shoddy

adjective

Definition of shoddy for English Language Learners

: poorly done or made

SHODDY Defined for Kids

shoddy

play

adjective shod·dy \ ˈshä-dē \

Definition of shoddy for Students

shoddier; shoddiest

:poorly done or made

shoddy work

—

shoddiness

\ˈshä-dē-nəs\ noun

Learn More about shoddy

See words that rhyme with shoddy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shoddy Spanish Central: Translation of shoddy Nglish: Translation of shoddy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shoddy for Arabic speakers

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WORD OF THE DAY

glabrous

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smooth or hairless

BROWSE DICTIONARY

shod

shodden

shoddy

shode

shoder

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Examples: shoddy in a Sentence