fishy

adjective

ˈfi-shē 

fishier; fishiest

1

: of or resembling fish especially in taste or odor

2

: creating doubt or suspicion : questionable

Synonyms

• debatable
• disputable
• dodgy [chiefly British]
• doubtable
• doubtful
• dubious
• dubitable
• equivocal
• problematic
• problematical
• queer
• questionable
• shady
• shaky
• suspect
• suspicious

Examples of fishy in a Sentence

There's something fishy about that guy.

something's fishy about the way he's acting

Recent Examples on the Web

Those who experience side effects like nausea, diarrhea, or a fishy aftertaste may be signs that fish oil isn’t well-tolerated. —Amy Brownstein, Ms, Rdn, Verywell Health, 7 Apr. 2025

Something fishy in our past While the common ancestor of vertebrates with synovial joints is still a mystery, the oldest specimen with evidence of these joints is Bothriolepis canadensis, a fish that lived about 387 to 360 million years ago during the Middle to Late Devonian period. —Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2025

But Bajaj saw something fishy in his final dataset. —Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 14 Mar. 2025

Common varieties are often described as salty, umami (earthy), fishy, or briny. —Adrienne Dellwo, Verywell Health, 14 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fishy

adjective

ˈfish-ē 

fishier; fishiest

1

: of, relating to, or resembling fish

a fishy odor

2

: arousing doubt or suspicion : questionable

the story sounds fishy to me