Shoddy Definition

shŏdē
shoddier, shoddies, shoddiest
adjective
shoddier, shoddiest
Made of shoddy.
Webster's New World
Made of any cheap, inferior material.
Webster's New World
Of poor quality or craft.
American Heritage
Poorly done or made.
Webster's New World
Rundown; shabby.
American Heritage
Antonyms:
noun
An inferior woolen yarn made from fibers taken from used fabrics and reprocessed.
Webster's New World
Cheap woolen cloth made from this.
Webster's New World
Anything of less worth or quality than it seems to have; esp., an inferior imitation.
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Shoddy

Noun

Singular:
shoddy
Plural:
shoddies

Adjective

Base Form:
shoddy
Comparative:
shoddier
Superlative:
shoddiest

Origin of Shoddy

  • Earlier shoddy worthless material, yarn made by shredding used woolen rags perhaps from dialectal shoad, shode loose fragments of ore on the ground indicating the presence of a lode from Old English scādan, scēadan to shed, divide skei- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • The modern adjectival sense was apparently derived from the use of inexpensive shoddy (“fabric from wool-processing byproduct") for unsuitable applications such as for military uniforms at the beginning of the US Civil War.

    From Wiktionary

  • Unknown, but possibly from shoad (“loose stone and rubble"), from Old English scádan (“to divide"), or possibly from the Arabic word for reuse. Shoad was of inferior quality for building.

    From Wiktionary

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