stodgy

[stoj-ee]

adjective

stodgier, stodgiest 

1. heavy, dull, or uninteresting; tediously commonplace; boring.

   a stodgy Victorian novel.

   Synonyms: prosaic, stuffy, tiresome
   Antonyms: exciting, lively

2. of a thick, semisolid consistency; heavy, as food.

3. stocky; thick-set.

4. old-fashioned; unduly formal and traditional.

   a stodgy old gentleman.

5. dull; graceless; inelegant.

   a stodgy business suit.

stodgy

/ ˈstɒdʒɪ /

adjective

1. (of food) heavy or uninteresting

2. excessively formal and conventional

Other Word Forms

• stodgily adverb
• stodginess noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stodgy¹

First recorded in 1815–25; stodge + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of stodgy¹

C19: from _stodge

Example Sentences

Biscuit dough felt too stodgy; puff pastry and its flakier cousins had the right spirit, but they collapsed under pressure.

Read more on Salon

There is the question hanging over his batting, which is still experiencing a stodgy search for rhythm, especially against spin.

Read more on BBC

Putnam’s post-Earhart life was a roller coaster of cash woes and notoriety; the following year he staged his own kidnapping, alienating his stodgy publishing community.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This one has shades of the friendly with Gibraltar 12 months ago, which was another stodgy affair and it may be similar this time round at the end of a long season.

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Stingingly, the article shows readers some examples of Hitler’s own work, the rather stodgy and static products of a draftsman who aspires to art.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• boring 
• monotonous 
• pedantic 
• plodding www.thesaurus.com
• ponderous 
• staid 
• tedious