shoddy
shoddy Lexical Profile
shoddy Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Badly made, done, or constructed, typically using inferior materials or careless workmanship.
"The inspector refused to approve the building because of the shoddy electrical wiring."
Dishonest, unfair, or morally reprehensible in treatment or behavior.
"The company faced severe backlash for its shoddy treatment of seasonal workers."
• noun
An inferior yarn or fabric made from the shredded fibers of waste woolen cloth or rags mixed with small amounts of new wool.
"During the nineteenth century, mills in Yorkshire processed tons of discarded rags into wearable shoddy."
Something of inferior quality that is pretentious or designed to appear better than it actually is.
"Experienced buyers can easily distinguish genuine craftsmanship from mass-produced shoddy."
• Rhymes for shoddy
Word Origin & Etymology
Originating in early 19th-century Yorkshire dialect, the word first referred to a cheap textile made by shredding old woolen rags and mixing them with new wool; its adjectival sense of 'poorly made' developed during the American Civil War when contractors supplied soldiers with fragile uniforms made from this inferior fabric.