notchy

British

/ ˈnɒtʃɪ /

adjective

(of a motor vehicle gear mechanism) requiring careful gear-changing, as if having to fit the lever into narrow notches

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

And it is proper: a leather-stitched, handball-sized shift knob, ever shivering with engine revs, the short throws between gears landing in oiled, notchy slots.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

One thing most testers noted was that they didn't care for its relatively notchy shifter.

From Time Magazine Archive

It's not notchy, it shifts with authority, and it's perfectly suited for the track or trail.

From Time Magazine Archive

There's none of the usually notchy feel when the turbocharger cuts in�just a smooth rush of power that brings the 48 up flat and fast.

From Time Magazine Archive

Methought I heard some sawyer draw his file With jarring, stridulous cacophany Across his notchy blade, to set its teeth And mine on edge.

From Black Beetles in Amber by Bierce, Ambrose

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023