fishy
Americanadjective
-
of, involving, or suggestive of fish
-
abounding in fish
-
informal suspicious, doubtful, or questionable
their leaving at the same time looked fishy
-
dull and lifeless
a fishy look
Other Word Forms
- fishily adverb
- fishiness noun
Etymology
Origin of fishy
Explanation
Anything fishy smells, tastes, or resembles a fish in some way. Suspicious people and situations are also called fishy. Since this word has two meanings, context is key. If you say something is fishy, it probably means you think something is suspicious. If you’re sitting next to someone eating a tuna sandwich, though, you could just mean you smell a fishy odor. Fishy usually refers to situations that seem suspect or shady. A guy looking over your shoulder while you use an ATM is fishy. A student looking at her arm for answers during a test is fishy. Anything fishy is suspicious — somebody’s up to something.
Vocabulary lists containing fishy
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Top Ten Relevant Words: Moby Dick, Chapters 1-16
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Mexikid
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Also, we have corporate sanctioned mobile devices and this came in via his personal phone. So that made him think this was potentially a little murky, a little fishy."
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
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 • Jan. 23, 2026
"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 • Dec. 3, 2025
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 • Nov. 10, 2025
"See, look at the little fishy," said Armpit.
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
