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 Word Forms

• patchworky adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of patchwork¹

First recorded in 1685–95; patch ¹ + work

Example Sentences

Maybe the Chargers can pull their patchwork line together quickly, but edge goes to Washington.

From Los Angeles Times

You’re spending multiple days on a song, leaving an impact or an imprint in your patchwork of time.

From Los Angeles Times

His first season wasn’t easy, with a young pitching staff and a patchwork offense struggling to find consistency for much of the year.

From Los Angeles Times

India's patchwork of risks is part of a larger truth: cancer is at once the most universal and the most uneven of diseases.

From BBC

Now, more than 40 years into Mötley Crüe, it may have been a patchwork journey of emotions for Sixx, but he wouldn’t change the experience for anything.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• jumble 
• mishmash 
• plaid 
• tartan