pudgy

[ puhj-ee ]

/ ˈpʌdʒ i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pudgy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, pudg·i·er, pudg·i·est.

short and fat or thick: an infant's pudgy fingers.

Nearby words

Also especially British, podgy.

Origin of pudgy

First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain

Related formspudg·i·ly, adverbpudg·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pudgy

He is a pudgy, bespectacled, homburg-wearing cuckold of a Sherlock in those fish-grey postwar years of 1970s England.
Iran’s Top Spy Is the Modern-Day Karla, John Le Carré’s Villainous Mastermind|Michael Weiss|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The young, professional players indulged the pudgy kingpin as he kicked his ball around in the dirt.
Pablo Escobar’s Private Prison Is Now Run by Monks for Senior Citizens|Jeff Campagna|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A pudgy, bald man in a suit and sweater ensemble stands in an opening between two of the newly erected walls.
This Cairo College Campus Is Now a 'Warzone'|Jonathan Krohn|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was a pudgy young boy and eventually fell in with a bad crowd.
Mike Tyson Opens Up About His Rape Conviction, Brad Pitt, and Love of Pinkberry|Marlow Stern|November 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Some hung-over mornings he looks into the mirror and finds a pudgy Nosferatu looking back at him.
My Week At An Austrian Fat Camp|Owen Matthews|October 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"Don'd ged so oxcited, sir," cautioned the Dutch boy, with a wave of one pudgy hand.
Frank Merriwell's Chums|Burt L. Standish
The pudgy man gazed at the little man calmly and sneeringly.
Last Words|Stephen Crane
As he began to divide this into five parts, still using the flat of his pudgy hand, something poked him lightly in the ribs.
The Flaming Jewel|Robert W. Chambers
It was set off by a pudgy, half-formed dab of a nose that let his breath in and out when his mouth happened to be shut.
The Bishop of Cottontown|John Trotwood Moore
But most of all, she hated to see his fat, pudgy hands touching her food.
Regiment of Women|Clemence Dane

British Dictionary definitions for pudgy

pudgy

/ (ˈpʌdʒɪ) /

adjective pudgier or pudgiest

a variant spelling (esp US) of podgy

Derived Formspudgily, adverbpudginess, noun

Word Origin for pudgy

C19: of uncertain origin; compare earlier pudsy plump, perhaps from Scottish pud stomach, plump child

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pudgy

pudgy

adj.

also podgy, 1824, from colloquial pudge "anything short and thick" + -y (2). Perhaps related to pudsy "plump" (1754), possibly a diminutive of nursery word pud "hand, forepaw" (from 17c.). A connection with pudding also has been conjectured. In late 19c. often on lists of English local or dialectal words; sources also mention puddy, punchy, pluggy, pudget as relatives or variants. Related: Pudginess.

pudgy

adjective, pudg·i·er, pudg·i·est.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of pudgy

Examples from the Web for pudgy

pudgy

adjective pudgier or pudgiest

Word Origin for pudgy

pudgy