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

Hobbs told me that his visitors are mainly interested in visiting Blackpool’s more sanitized offerings, but have a sense of curiosity about its dodgier elements. — George Francis Lee, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026

But while ripoffs and dodgy reboots are common in horror, some of the weirdest unauthorized sequels are the result of an obsessed fan self-financing a tribute to their favorite movie. — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026

The takeaway here is that the act of searching for dodgy movie downloads, be they of The Odyssey or another movie, can be just as dangerous as the actual download itself in terms of the malware risk. — Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026

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