fishy

American  

[fish-ee] / ˈfɪʃ i /

adjective

fishier, fishiest

1. like a fish in shape, smell, taste, or the like.

2. consisting of fish.

3. abounding in fish.

4. Informal. improbable, as a story; unlikely.

5. Informal. of questionable character; suspicious.

   The sudden knockout was fishy.

   Synonyms:

   dubious, suspect, strange, queer, peculiar

6. dull and expressionless.

   fishy eyes.

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fishy British  

/ ˈfɪʃɪ /

adjective

1. of, involving, or suggestive of fish

2. abounding in fish

3. informal suspicious, doubtful, or questionable

   their leaving at the same time looked fishy

4. dull and lifeless

   a fishy look

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Other Word Forms

• fishily adverb
• fishiness noun

Etymology

Origin of fishy

First recorded in 1540–50; fish + -y ¹

Example Sentences

It didn’t help that I stank of the filthy, fishy water in the boat, which had dried and crusted over me.

From Literature

White said UFC confronted the fighter and his lawyer prior to the match and were given reassurances that nothing fishy was going on.

From The Wall Street Journal

Faced with some stiff competition, one savvy float-building team at this year’s Rose Parade still managed to reel in a Guinness World Record title by setting its sights on something decidedly fishier.

From Los Angeles Times

"Now they come out saying there are issues with the system. To me, it seems like there's something fishy going on," she said.

From Barron's

Another smelled like a pile of wet rope encrusted with seaweed and left to rot in the sun, and a nasty, fishy aroma it was.

From Literature

Related Words

• dubious
• odd