patchwork

American  

[pach-wurk] / ˈpætʃˌwɜrk /

noun

1. something made up of an incongruous variety of pieces or parts; hodgepodge.

   a patchwork of verse forms.

   Synonyms:

   mélange, jumble, medley

2. work made of pieces of cloth or leather of various colors or shapes sewed together, used especially for covering quilts, cushions, etc.

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adjective

1. resembling a patchwork, especially in being makeshift, irregular, or improvised.

   a patchwork policy of dispensing foreign aid.

verb (used with object)

1. to make as patchwork.

   She specializes in patchworking skirts.

2. to assemble or connect in making patchwork.

   to patchwork neckties into bedspreads.

patchwork British  

/ ˈpætʃˌwɜːk /

noun

1. needlework done by sewing pieces of different materials together

2. something, such as a theory, made up of various parts

   a patchwork of cribbed ideas

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Other Word Forms

• patchworky adjective

Etymology

Origin of patchwork

First recorded in 1685–95; patch ¹ + work

Example Sentences

Gathered around a large work table, the group talked about their latest project: using offcuts and scrap material from larger tables to make a set of patchwork design tables.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Instead, liquid water likely interacted with different parts of the asteroid under varying conditions, creating a patchwork of chemical environments.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

Elsewhere, a patchwork of laws limits the practice to EV startups or to specific manufacturers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

The film portrays a rural Hungary made up of a patchwork of poor villages, home especially to the country's large Roma minority.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Mary had made the dress herself, when Laura thought she was sewing on her patchwork quilt.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Related Words

• jumble
• mishmash
• plaid
• tartan