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 tripEdna Ferber
4
: extremely old-fashioned : hidebound
received a pompously Victorian letter from his stodgy fatherE. E. S. Montagu
5
a
: drab
b
: dowdy
stodgily adverb
stodginess noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Now, Red Lobster is trying to balance keeping its loyal customers while trying to shake its stodgy image to attract younger ones. Maya Huter, NBC News, 11 Nov. 2024 Positives for Marsch; stodgy France - The Briefing Yankees consider benching Anthony Rizzo for multiple games as struggles mount Capitals to purchase popular salary cap website CapFriendly Will Oilers tweak their defensive pairs? New York Times, 9 June 2024 Conventional wisdom holds that banks are stodgier than companies like Google. Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2016 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 See all Example Sentences for stodgy 

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stodgy was in 1854

Dictionary Entries Near stodgy

Cite this Entry

“Stodgy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stodgy. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

stodgy

adjective
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 adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on stodgy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!