1
chiefly British : evasive, tricky
2
chiefly British
a
: not sound, good, or reliable
3
chiefly British : requiring skill or care in handling or coping with
dodginess noun

Examples of dodgy in a Sentence

The car's got a dodgy engine. They got into a dodgy situation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Just as any student can spin up a dodgy excuse for a bad report card, Florida Department of Education cheerleaders are brimming with explanations for recent mediocre SAT test scores: Probably bad math. Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Dec. 2024 Death Becomes Her fires on all cylinders, like a fine automobile that runs on ecologically dodgy fuel, as the first act speeds through Madeline’s betrayal and Helen’s first swing at revenge. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024 Trump is amassing what may be the most inexperienced Cabinet in decades, one with more skeletons afoot than a cemetery and dodgy odds of getting through en masse. Philip Elliott, TIME, 25 Nov. 2024 Browsers like Google Chrome and Apple's Safari come with a whole host of security protections to identify dodgy websites, protect you from nasty downloads, and block bad code from running in your browser. David Nield, WIRED, 18 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dodgy 

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dodgy was in 1861

Dictionary Entries Near dodgy

Cite this Entry

“Dodgy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dodgy. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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