stodgy

IPA/ˈstɒdʒi/
KK[stˈɑdʒi]IPA/ˈstɑːdʒi/

stodgy — adjective

  • stodgypositive
  • stodgiercomparative
  • stodgiestsuperlative

1. If food is stodgy, it is too heavy and makes you feel uncomfortably full after e

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

If food is stodgy, it is too heavy and makes you feel uncomfortably full after eating. The food is thick, rich, or high in starch, and you cannot eat much of it at once without feeling stuffed.

Example

The pudding was so stodgy that Liang could only eat a few spoonfuls before feeling full.

collocation: stodgy pudding / stodgy food

Maja prefers light salads for lunch instead of stodgy dishes like dumplings or pot pies.

Common collocations
  • stodgy pudding
  • stodgy meal
  • stodgy dish
  • stodgy pastry
  • stodgy food
  • too stodgy
Synonyms
  • heavy

    more neutral; heavy food can be good or bad depending on context

  • filling

    neutral to positive; filling food satisfies hunger without the negative overtone

  • starchy

    refers specifically to foods high in starch, not necessarily unpleasant

Antonyms
  • light

    used for food that is easy to digest and not heavy on the stomach

  • airy

    describes baked goods with a light, open texture

Usage Note

This sense carries a mildly negative connotation — you use it when the food is too filling to be enjoyable, not when describing hearty food in a positive way.

Common Mistakes

The cake was very stodgy and delicious.
The cake was very stodgy and I could only eat half.
Stodgy food is usually unpleasant or overfilling; it is not a compliment.

2. If a person, institution, book, or design is stodgy, they are too serious and fo

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

If a person, institution, book, or design is stodgy, they are too serious and formal, with old-fashioned attitudes that feel dull and out of touch with modern life.

Example

Yasmin found the museum guide's talk too stodgy, full of formal titles and lists of dates.

pattern: find + [noun] + too stodgy

The bank had a stodgy dress code that required suits and ties even on casual Fridays.

collocation: stodgy dress code / stodgy rules

Common collocations
  • stodgy person
  • stodgy rules
  • stodgy dress code
  • stodgy club
  • stodgy book
  • stodgy speech
  • stodgy ideas
  • stodgy and outdated
Synonyms
  • stuffy

    very similar, but stuffy emphasises social formality and narrow-mindedness more strongly

  • fuddy-duddy

    informal and more affectionate; describes someone stuck in the past

  • old-fashioned

    neutral — can be positive or negative, whereas stodgy is always mildly negative

  • conservative

    wider scope; covers politics, personal style, and risk-aversion, not just dullness

Antonyms
  • modern

    up-to-date in style, attitudes, or design

  • trendy

    informal; describes fashionable, current styles or ideas

  • lively

    full of energy and interest; the opposite of dull and serious

Usage Note

This sense is mildly disapproving. You can use it about people, institutions, customs, rules, design, art, or writing — anything that seems rigidly conventional.

Common Mistakes

My uncle is very stodgy — he loves jazz and tries new foods.
My uncle is very stodgy
he still wears a tie to dinner and refuses to use email.' — A stodgy person is not just quiet but rigidly old-fashioned in an unimaginative way.

Word family

  • stodge
    nounC1
  • stodgily
    adverbC1
  • stodginess
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

All four words describe people or things that resist change, but they differ in register and tone. 'Stuffy' (B2) is the closest synonym to stodgy and also carries disapproval, but it focuses more on social formality and a closed-minded attitude toward new ideas — think of a stuffy boardroom. 'Old-fashioned' (A2) is neutral and much broader: it can describe anything from clothing to technology, without any negative feeling unless the context adds one. 'Conservative' (B2) is a wider term that covers politics, personal style, and risk-taking; it is not inherently negative. 'Fuddy-duddy' (C1) is informal and slightly affectionate — you might call a kind but stubborn grandparent a fuddy-duddy. Where stodgy feels heavy and dull, fuddy-duddy feels quaint and harmless. For example: 'The firm had a stodgy approach to marketing, still using paper brochures.' sounds more critical than 'My uncle is a bit of a fuddy-duddy about phones.'

stuffy ↗old-fashioned ↗conservative ↗fuddy-duddy ↗

Etymology

English

The word 'stodgy' comes from the noun 'stodge', which first appeared in the mid-1800s meaning thick, heavy food — probably created by combining 'stuff' and 'porridge', or as an imitation of the sound of something thick being pushed through a narrow space. By the late 1800s, people began using 'stodgy' in a figurative way to describe dull, conventional people and ideas, as if their minds were as hard to move as heavy pudding.

First known use

1884

1884, in the meaning defined at sense 4