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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dodgy
The diner, Sweet Emily’s, is on the same dodgy street as Lee’s store, Hoot Owls Books.
—
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Whatever, Dever quickly recanted her earlier precise testimony to the FBI about the sinister doings by those two dodgy cops behind Karen Read’s SUV.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Workers encourage customers not to abandon ship, but to ask Powell’s about their dodgier policies, and celebrate their good ones.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
The rapport between these two veteran actors turn what could have been seriously dodgy caricatures into a first-rate double act — think Abbott and Costello with sidecurls and silencers.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dodgy
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Whatever, Dever quickly recanted her earlier precise testimony to the FBI about the sinister doings by those two dodgy cops behind Karen Read’s SUV.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Workers encourage customers not to abandon ship, but to ask Powell’s about their dodgier policies, and celebrate their good ones.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
The rapport between these two veteran actors turn what could have been seriously dodgy caricatures into a first-rate double act — think Abbott and Costello with sidecurls and silencers.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dodgy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dodgy
Adjective
-
Jens generally chooses his words carefully, and is, what’s more, particularly reticent just after finishing a long and difficult winter delivery trip; what’s a person supposed to do with words in a blizzard anyway, up on a stormy heath and all directions lost?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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In his first start in the wake of Beau Pribula’s significant injury, Zollers walked into a difficult situation, and his stat line reflected it.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Fueled by vengeance and cunning ambition, Ashur rises from betrayal and bloodshed to seize power, gouging out a place for the House of Ashur in a new arena full of violence, desire, and twisted loyalty.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
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The elaborate scheme, masterminded by members of four Mafia families in collusion with celebrity athletes, ensnared unsuspecting victims, bleeding them of over $7 million through cunning deception, prosecutors said in the indictment.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Unfortunately, Packers quarterback Jordan Love will go into the game without one of his top receiving threats, who came into the game with a questionable tag.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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You will be awarded with Very Special Records and questionable merchandise in due time.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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This loss had to be especially tough for the Jayhawks, considering a controversial holding call on KU changed the momentum of the game.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
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However, their record at the Etihad makes for tough reading.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Fall travel season is here, and my suitcase is officially in its comfy-but-cute era.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
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Shoppers call out the cute and functional design.—
Kim Grundy,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
But all of that assumes that a putsch does succeed, and this is dubious.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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Also, the father in the book is a screenwriter, opening the door for sharp commentary on Hollywood and its dubious attempts at on-screen representation.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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This includes women with estrogen sensitive breast or uterine cancer, and women who are at high risk for or have had a heart attack, stroke, blood clot, or pulmonary embolism.—
Allison Aubrey,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
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In insulin resistance, the body's cells become less sensitive to insulin, which leads to higher blood sugar levels.—
Leigh Weddle,
Verywell Health,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The slick lobby was guarded by uniformed doormen and the elevator took me to a long polished corridor leading to a big mahogany door.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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But Ratanaruang’s most essential collaborator is, again, Doyle, who uses desaturated 16mm to evoke Sao’s past and slick digital cinematography to capture her present.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dodgy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dodgy. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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