iffy

[ if-ee ]

adjective

, Informal.

, if·fi·er, if·fi·est.

1. full of unresolved points or questions:

   an iffy situation.

   Synonyms: speculative, uncertain, unsettled, doubtful

2. doubtful; questionable:

   An early decision on this is iffy.

iffy

/ ˈɪfɪ /

adjective

1. informal.
   uncertain or subject to contingency

   this scheme sounds a bit iffy

Other Words From

• iffi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of iffy¹

First recorded in 1915–20; if + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of iffy¹

C20: from if + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Overall, none of this should be taken as a commentary on Gordon the player, or whether the combination of his veteran experience, iffy durability and the three years he has remaining on his contract5 makes sense for Houston’s young core.

From FiveThirtyEight

No one is proposing that astronomical, wartime level of taxation, but it is remarkable that the present Lucian vision of an “American Century” is leaning heavily on a bigger line of credit, and even that’s iffy at the moment.

From Time

WhatsApp is working on a setting that will let users more easily bypass its iffy image compression and send photos and videos in the highest available fidelity.

From TechCrunch

Just an iffy communicator, maybe, if you haven’t said all this out loud.

From Washington Post

The sheer volume also means that sometimes iffy apps slip through the cracks.

From TechCrunch

In truth, the securities were ones that Goldman already owned but which were proving iffy at best.

From The Daily Beast

He found it “iffy,” he says, and he started searching for vulnerabilities.

From The Daily Beast

His firearm arrests and an iffy Navy record did not prevent him from signing on as a computer technician with The Experts.

From The Daily Beast

But progress turned out to be iffy—USAID was overwhelmed by the scale of the problems and “a shell of its cold war self.”

From The Daily Beast

They assume it will be a great investment in 20 or 30 years time, even if it looks iffy today.

From The Daily Beast