English Explanatory Dictionary

shoddy

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Of poor quality or construction.
  2. Poor; low.
  3. Pretentious, sham, counterfeit.
  4. Ambitious by reason of newly-acquired wealth; nouveau riche.
noun
  1. A low-grade cloth made from by-products of wool processing, or from recycled wool.
  2. Worthless goods.
  3. Vulgar pretence or sham.

Pronunciation

/ˈʃɒd.i/ [ˈʃɔd.i] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-shoddy.wav /ˈʃɑ.di/ [ˈʃɒ.ɾi] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-shoddy.wav

Word forms

shoddy shoddier shoddiest shoddies

Etymology

* Unknown, but possibly from shoad (“loose stone and rubble; fragments”), equivalent to shoad + -y; or possibly from the Arabic word for reuse. Shoad was of inferior quality for building. * The modern adjectival sense was apparently derived from inexpensive shoddy (“fabric from wool-processing byproduct”), which was not really suitable for (but was sometimes still used for) things such as military uniforms at the beginning of the US Civil War.

Synonyms

spotty cruddy lousy trashy ass bad base below par bottom-shelf BTEC bum cheap cheap and nasty cheapshit cheesy chintzy coffee-and crap crappo crappy craptastic crapperific craptabulous craptacular crummy dogwater drecky flimsy fourth-rate gash garbage god-awful inferior low low-grade low-quality low-rent made in China mid naughty one-star poor poor man's pound-shop punk rinky-dink ropy rubbish sad schlocky scrubby second-rate shoddy slazy slight slim subpar shit shite shitty

Derived words

shoddily shoddiness shoddydom shoddyism shoddyite unshoddy shoddy fever
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