fishy

/ˈfɪʃi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfɪʃi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfi-shē/ (ame, mw)

fishy — adjective

  • fishypositive
  • fishiercomparative
  • fishiestsuperlative

1. describing a situation, story, or person that does not seem honest or believable

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describing a situation, story, or person that does not seem honest or believable, and that makes you suspect something bad is being hidden.

例句

Something about Eitan's excuse for missing the meeting sounded fishy to Arjun.

predicative use: 'sound fishy to [person]'

The police thought the late-night phone call from the warehouse was fishy.

同義詞
  • suspicious

    more neutral and slightly more formal; works in both written and spoken contexts.

  • dodgy

    British informal; suggests something is shady or unreliable, often slightly stronger than 'fishy'.

  • shady

    American informal; emphasises hidden wrongdoing, often about people as well as situations.

  • questionable

    more formal; focuses on doubt about correctness rather than dishonest motive.

反義詞

用法筆記

Informal; common in spoken English and detective or news stories. Typically appears as 'sounds fishy', 'looks fishy', or 'something fishy about [X]'. Does not describe a person's character in general — it describes a specific action, story, deal, or situation that raises suspicion.

常見錯誤

❌Eri is a fishy person.
✅There is something fishy about Eri's story.
💡'fishy' describes situations or behaviour, not a person's overall character.
❌The contract is fishy expensive.
✅The contract is suspiciously expensive.
💡'fishy' is an adjective, not an adverb; it cannot modify another adjective.

2. having the taste or smell that comes from fish — usually mentioned as a flavour

2.形容詞B2
釋義

having the taste or smell that comes from fish — usually mentioned as a flavour or odour that someone notices in food, on hands, or in a room.

例句

Anong said the chicken curry had a slightly fishy aftertaste from the shrimp paste.

collocation: 'fishy aftertaste'

Élise washed her hands twice to get rid of the fishy smell from cleaning the salmon.

collocation: 'fishy smell'

同義詞
  • fish-like

    more neutral and descriptive; less likely to suggest the taste is unpleasant.

  • briny

    focuses on a salty sea-water taste rather than fish itself.

用法筆記

Refers to actual fish-related taste or smell, not the suspicious sense. Most common after 'taste', 'smell', and before 'smell', 'taste', 'flavour', 'aftertaste'. Often slightly negative — speakers usually mention a fishy smell or taste because it is unpleasant or unexpected.

常見錯誤

❌This pork tastes very fishy delicious.
✅This pork has a strong fishy flavour.
💡'fishy' is an adjective and cannot modify another adjective.
❌The river is fishy today.
✅The river smells fishy today.
💡'fishy' describes a smell or taste, not the water itself.