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Synonyms

patchy

American  
[pach-ee] / ˈpætʃ i /

adjective

patchier, patchiest

  1. characterized by or made up of patches. patch.

  2. occurring in, forming, or like patches. patch.

  3. of inconsistent or irregular quality, texture, etc.; not uniform.

    patchy acting; patchy areas of fog.
patchy British  
/ ˈpætʃɪ /

adjective

  1. irregular in quality, occurrence, intensity, etc

    a patchy essay

  2. having or forming patches

"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

Other Word Forms

  • patchily adverb
  • patchiness noun

Etymology

Origin of patchy

First recorded in 1790–1800; patch 1 + -y 1

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.

Such a patchy run of results on the road has only increased their reliance on home comforts.

From BBC

In the patchy moonlight, his arms were fading into the background.

From Literature

In recent days patchy access to some foreign websites and email services such as Google has been available, but has been highly unreliable.

From Barron's

However, results by the All Blacks' standards have been very patchy and Robertson has failed to stamp his mark on the team.

From BBC

The proposed power-sector reforms could make it easier to solve India’s perennial problem of patchy electricity supply and improve the financial condition of state-run electricity distributors.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.