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Definition of "shoddy" [shod•dy]

  • Made of or containing inferior material. (adjective)
  • Of poor quality or craft. (adjective)
  • Rundown; shabby. (adjective)
  • Dishonest or reprehensible: shoddy business practices. (adjective)
  • Conspicuously and cheaply imitative. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "shoddy" in a sentence
  • "She said it went to 'shoddy yards' - that's where the phrase shoddy clothing comes from - which were in Dewsbury."
  • "He says earlier reports from the U.S. had been based on what he called shoddy intelligence."
  • "In two of the cases, Justice Stevens lashed out at the court's failure to condemn what he called shoddy work by defense lawyers in death penalty cases."