"iffy" meaning in English

See iffy in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /ˈɪfi/ Audio: En-au-iffy.ogg [Australia] Forms: iffier [comparative], iffiest [superlative]
Rhymes: -ɪfi Etymology: if + -y Etymology templates: {{suffix|en|if|y}} if + -y Head templates: {{en-adj|er}} iffy (comparative iffier, superlative iffiest)
  1. (slang) Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality. Tags: slang Synonyms: dodgy, dubious, fishy, iffy Translations (Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality): epäilyttävä (Finnish), louche (French), სათუო (satuo) (Georgian), dubios (German), zweifelhaft (German), sospetto (Italian), dubius [masculine] (Latin), suspeito [masculine] (Portuguese), dúbio (Portuguese), questionável (Portuguese), dubios (Romanian), сомни́тельный (somnítelʹnyj) (Russian), подозри́тельный (podozrítelʹnyj) (Russian), neistý (Slovak), skum (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-iffy-en-adj-BVubcDxd Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -y Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 61 39 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -y: 47 53 Disambiguation of 'Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality': 99 1
  2. Uncertain or chancy.
    Sense id: en-iffy-en-adj-~NbX0Din Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -y Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 61 39 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -y: 47 53
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: dicey, dodgy, dubious, fishy, iffy, questionable, shady, shonky [Australia, New-Zealand, UK], sketchy Hypernyms: fraudulent, suspicious, unreliable Derived forms: iffily, iffiness

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for iffy meaning in English (5.6kB)

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "absolute"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "reliable"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "solid"
    }
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "iffily"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "iffiness"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "if",
        "3": "y"
      },
      "expansion": "if + -y",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "if + -y",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "iffier",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "iffiest",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "er"
      },
      "expansion": "iffy (comparative iffier, superlative iffiest)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "hypernyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "fraudulent"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "suspicious"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "unreliable"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "61 39",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -y",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He's selling new CD players for £20 each – that sounds a bit iffy to me.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality."
      ],
      "id": "en-iffy-en-adj-BVubcDxd",
      "links": [
        [
          "dubious",
          "dubious"
        ],
        [
          "authenticity",
          "authenticity"
        ],
        [
          "legitimacy",
          "legitimacy"
        ],
        [
          "legality",
          "legality"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang) Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "dodgy"
        },
        {
          "word": "dubious"
        },
        {
          "word": "fishy"
        },
        {
          "word": "iffy"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "epäilyttävä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "louche"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "satuo",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "სათუო"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "dubios"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "zweifelhaft"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "sospetto"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "dubius"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "suspeito"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "dúbio"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "questionável"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "dubios"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "somnítelʹnyj",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "сомни́тельный"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "podozrítelʹnyj",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "подозри́тельный"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "sk",
          "lang": "Slovak",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "neistý"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
          "word": "skum"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "61 39",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -y",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The weather is still iffy for Saturday's shuttle launch.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020, N. K. Jemisin, The City We Became, Orbit, page 416",
          "text": "He’s underground, anyway, so reception would be iffy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011, Terry Pratchett, Snuff, Doubleday, page 60",
          "text": "\"Definitely something iffy, that's for sure.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Uncertain or chancy."
      ],
      "id": "en-iffy-en-adj-~NbX0Din",
      "links": [
        [
          "Uncertain",
          "uncertain"
        ],
        [
          "chancy",
          "chancy"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɪfi/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪfi"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-iffy.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/87/En-au-iffy.ogg/En-au-iffy.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/En-au-iffy.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "dicey"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "dodgy"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "dubious"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "fishy"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "iffy"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "questionable"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "shady"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand",
        "UK"
      ],
      "word": "shonky"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "sketchy"
    }
  ],
  "word": "iffy"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "absolute"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "reliable"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "solid"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "English 2-syllable words",
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms suffixed with -y",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪfi",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪfi/2 syllables"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "iffily"
    },
    {
      "word": "iffiness"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "if",
        "3": "y"
      },
      "expansion": "if + -y",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "if + -y",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "iffier",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "iffiest",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "er"
      },
      "expansion": "iffy (comparative iffier, superlative iffiest)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "hypernyms": [
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "fraudulent"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "suspicious"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "unreliable"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English slang",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He's selling new CD players for £20 each – that sounds a bit iffy to me.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "dubious",
          "dubious"
        ],
        [
          "authenticity",
          "authenticity"
        ],
        [
          "legitimacy",
          "legitimacy"
        ],
        [
          "legality",
          "legality"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang) Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "dodgy"
        },
        {
          "word": "dubious"
        },
        {
          "word": "fishy"
        },
        {
          "word": "iffy"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The weather is still iffy for Saturday's shuttle launch.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020, N. K. Jemisin, The City We Became, Orbit, page 416",
          "text": "He’s underground, anyway, so reception would be iffy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011, Terry Pratchett, Snuff, Doubleday, page 60",
          "text": "\"Definitely something iffy, that's for sure.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Uncertain or chancy."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Uncertain",
          "uncertain"
        ],
        [
          "chancy",
          "chancy"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɪfi/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪfi"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-iffy.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/87/En-au-iffy.ogg/En-au-iffy.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/En-au-iffy.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "dicey"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "dodgy"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "dubious"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "fishy"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "iffy"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "questionable"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "shady"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand",
        "UK"
      ],
      "word": "shonky"
    },
    {
      "source": "Thesaurus:iffy",
      "word": "sketchy"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "epäilyttävä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "louche"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "satuo",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "სათუო"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "dubios"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "zweifelhaft"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "sospetto"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "dubius"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "suspeito"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "dúbio"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "questionável"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "dubios"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "somnítelʹnyj",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "сомни́тельный"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "podozrítelʹnyj",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "подозри́тельный"
    },
    {
      "code": "sk",
      "lang": "Slovak",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "neistý"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality",
      "word": "skum"
    }
  ],
  "word": "iffy"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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