Word
shoddy
Phoneticsshod·dy, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈʃɑdi/
UK/ʃˈɒdi/
Definition
adj. made or done very badly and without care. You use this to describe work or products that are poor quality and might break easily.
adj. characterised by poor craftsmanship or inferior materials; lacking care or attention to detail. Often used to describe physical goods or professional services that fail to meet basic standards.
Examples
“The repair work on the roof was shoddy and leaked immediately.”
“The investigation revealed that the building collapsed because of shoddy construction and a lack of safety inspections.”
“While the marketing campaign was polished and expensive, the product itself was a shoddy imitation of its competitors, leading to a swift decline in consumer trust and brand value.”
Examples
simple
“The repair work on the roof was shoddy and leaked immediately.”
contextual
“The investigation revealed that the building collapsed because of shoddy construction and a lack of safety inspections.”
complex
“While the marketing campaign was polished and expensive, the product itself was a shoddy imitation of its competitors, leading to a swift decline in consumer trust and brand value.”
Usage
Typically used to modify nouns related to work, construction, or effort.
Real-World Examples
“Though Town Brook’s dams had been outfitted with fish ladders, the passages were shoddy, overlong and hard for fish to find amid turbulent pools.” “Piggott’s a shoddy, unkempt idiot – he sleeps in his suit and at one point, he eats a raw Findus Crispy Pancake – but he saves the girl at the end.” 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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