sketchy
Americanadjective
adjective
-
characteristic of a sketch; existing only in outline
-
superficial or slight
-
informal uncertain or unreliable
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of sketchy
Explanation
Something sketchy is incomplete: it includes the major points but lacks detail. If a political candidate avoids going into detail about her political views, you might say her platform is sketchy. A sketch is a quick drawing that doesn't have a lot of detail. That definition should help you remember that sketchy things are incomplete. A sketchy speech from the President will outline some important ideas but be short on specifics. A sketchy plan for the weekend would be "Let's go out to eat." That's sketchy because it has the general idea but no specifics, such as the time or place.
Vocabulary lists containing sketchy
Whirligig
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Down and Across
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Express wants to know how Burnham intends to "bring back hope" to the UK, suggesting that new prime minister was "sketchy on the details" in his speech outside No 10.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
One way to make this less of a sketchy move is to check in first.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
In comments on the Times article, some Platner supporters declared that his sketchy past, including the Fifield allegations, makes him seem more like a man of the people.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
That’s why Pratt and his followers don’t see his sketchy past as a disqualifier, but rather his biggest strength.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
They were at You Gelato Be Kidding!, a sketchy little shop that had somehow become their favorite place to get dessert in the intensity of the last three weeks.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
When my parents divorced, things became much sketchier for my mom, and I did live with her for the first part.
From Slate ● Feb. 3, 2024
Omicron’s impact is difficult to gauge in other parts of the world, where data are often sketchier.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 25, 2022
Getting there requires one of the sketchier boot-packs I’ve ever done, along an icy, knife-edge ridge where the prospect of a catastrophic fall looms large.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 11, 2021
If they are sketchier characters, both in Baxter’s depiction and in the reader’s eye, that may again be Baxter’s point.
From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2020
Naturally, Europe and its many loops were well-defined, but farther afield things got sketchier.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
He messaged Lutz about his experiences: “It was definitely the sketchiest thing I have ever had to do.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
Huge sums of money are now available for the sketchiest of projects, from "blue hydrogen" to the sea-bed mining of rare-earth minerals.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2021
“The majority gives only the sketchiest of reasons for reversing Teague’s watershed exception,” Kagan wrote.
From Slate ● May 17, 2021
Over two recording sessions for Columbia Records in early 1959, Davis would hand out the sketchiest of outlines for the music and leave the rest to extemporization.
From Washington Post ● May 25, 2020
He spoke nothing but the truth, for he had but the sketchiest acquaintance with the composition of any kind of machinery.
From In Brief Authority by Anstey, F.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
