stodgy

adjective

ˈstä-jē 

stodgier; stodgiest

1

: having a rich filling quality : heavy

stodgy bread

2

: moving in a slow plodding way especially as a result of physical bulkiness

3

: boring, dull

out on a peaceful rather stodgy Sunday boat trip

—Edna Ferber

4

: extremely old-fashioned : hidebound

received a pompously Victorian letter from his stodgy father

—E. E. S. Montagu

5

a

: drab

b

: dowdy

stodgily

ˈstä-jə-lē 

adverb

stodginess

ˈstä-jē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• arid
• boring
• colorless
• drab
• dreary
• drudging
• dry
• dull
• dusty
• flat
• heavy
• ho-hum
• humdrum
• jading
• jejune
• leaden
• mind-numbing
• monochromatic
• monotonous
• numbing
• old
• pedestrian
• ponderous
• slow
• stale
• stuffy
• stupid
• tame
• tedious
• tiresome
• tiring
• uninteresting
• wearisome
• weary
• wearying

Examples of stodgy in a Sentence

the sitcom was offbeat and interesting in its first season, but has since become predictable and stodgy

Recent Examples on the Web

Through a melodic flow of political parlance and an impressive stable of sprightly actors, creator Debora Cahn stages a spirited play about political relationships — and relationship politics — that never feels stodgy or stupefying, despite an ungodly amount of dialogue. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2024

Just like the Jeffersons, the new RHONY is moving on up, but out of the stodgy Upper East Side and to the cooler confines of downtown. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2024

Consider the three descendants of the stodgy old General Electric. —Larry Light, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024

Without consistent brand maintenance, companies can slowly start to slip into obsolescence, as customers perceive them as stodgy and outdated. —Anne-Marie Rosser, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

stodgy

adjective

ˈstäj-ē 

stodgier; stodgiest

1

: moving in a slow struggling way especially as a result of physical bulkiness

2

: having no excitement or interest : dull, boring

a stodgy day

3

: very old-fashioned in attitude or point of view

stodgily

ˈstäj-ə-lē 

adverb