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

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

“Salty, briny, fishy...I think I have it,” he said after a moment.

From Literature

If someone gave you a price that was too good to be true, or made the process completely frictionless, your brother might very well say, “Something is fishy here. It’s too easy.”

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• dubious
• odd