What does dodgier mean?
"Dodgier" is the comparative form of the informal adjective "dodgy," used to describe someone or something as being more dishonest, unreliable, or questionable than something else. It is particularly prevalent in British English, where "dodgy" serves as a versatile everyday term for anything from a suspect financial arrangement to faulty wiring or an unwell stomach. Calling a business deal dodgier implies it looks increasingly shady or underhand, while describing machinery as dodgier suggests it has become more prone to failure. The word carries a mildly negative but colloquial tone — strong enough to signal distrust, yet light enough for casual speech, headlines, and journalism rather than formal documents. American English speakers understand it readily, though they more often reach for "sketchier." Its flexibility across people, plans, objects, and situations makes it a compact and vivid way to express mounting suspicion or declining reliability.
adjective (comparative form)"Dodgier" is the comparative of "dodgy," meaning less reliable, more questionable, or more dishonest in appearance or character.
- (of a person, business, or deal) more dishonest, untrustworthy, or disreputable than something else
- (of a situation, plan, or thing) more risky, unreliable, or of dubious quality
"The second-hand car dealer had a dodgier reputation than anyone in the trade would admit."
"After two failed inspections, the restaurant's hygiene record looked dodgier than ever."
"He took a dodgier route home through the back alleys to avoid the main road."
In Britain you don't just call something suspicious — you call it a bit dodgy, and the worse it gets, the dodgier it gets.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dodgier
The adjective "dodgy" derives from the verb "dodge," which appeared in English around the early seventeenth century meaning to evade or move aside suddenly; the verb's ultimate origin is uncertain, possibly rooted in dialectal speech. "Dodgy" emerged in nineteenth-century British English, first suggesting cunning evasion and later extending to mean untrustworthy, risky, or unreliable. "Dodgier" is simply its regular comparative formation. Closely related forms include the noun "dodger" (as in "artful dodger") and the adverb "dodgily."
Related word forms
How dodgier is actually used
Chiefly informal and especially common in British English; "sketchy" is the closest American informal equivalent. Carries a mildly negative connotation without being strongly offensive, making it suitable for everyday conversation and journalism but generally avoided in formal writing.
Easily confused with dodgier
"Edgier" means more tense, nervous, or cutting-edge, whereas "dodgier" means more unreliable or suspicious.