patchwork

[ pach-wurk ]

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.

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

/ 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

Other Words From

• patchworky adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of patchwork¹

First recorded in 1685–95; patch ¹ + work

Example Sentences

Rather than those little multihued flakes, the snack version is formed into a wafer that looks like a colorful patchwork quilt.

From Washington Post

The Buccaneers’ pass rush is creating problems for the Chiefs’ patchwork offensive line, to no one’s surprise.

From Washington Post

Making it harder is a chaotic, patchwork system for getting shots in arms.

From Washington Post

The court’s refusal to hear the case leaves a murky patchwork of laws making it easier for us to buy wines online from wineries than from retailers.

From Washington Post

That allowed the rising sun to pour its rays into the sky unobstructed from the east, the sunlight then catching on the patchwork of upper-level clouds.

From Washington Post

The lab opened the door to a patchwork of grants from around the world which allowed Lavie to begin auditioning actresses.

From The Daily Beast

We have a patchwork system in which some people are covered, and others wait and wait.

From The Daily Beast

A patchwork of building shells and cratered streets, the city tells of a cyclical war, still smoldering.

From The Daily Beast

Petite a-frame suede mini-skirts featured patchwork pockets or cut-out patterns on leather.

From The Daily Beast

Other parents use a patchwork of care with a different plan in place every day.

From The Daily Beast

This patchwork way of constructing engines made success much more difficult.

From Project Gutenberg

What do you suppose my friend the Patchwork Girl would think of me, if she saw me wearing this beastly shape?

From Project Gutenberg

Worn-out clothes were returned to the vlicus to be made up into patchwork quilts.

From Project Gutenberg

Minnie was placed in Mrs. Thimbleby's own high-backed chair, with the clean patchwork-covered cushions piled behind her.

From Project Gutenberg

Envelopes, notes, the Baltimore Sun, and other papers were strewn thick over the silk patchwork quilt.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• jumble
• mishmash
• plaid
• tartan