patchy

[pach-ee]

See more synonyms for patchy on Thesaurus.com

adjective, patch·i·er, patch·i·est.

characterized by or made up of patches.
occurring in, forming, or like patches.
of inconsistent or irregular quality, texture, etc.; not uniform: patchy acting; patchy areas of fog.

Origin of patchy

First recorded in 1790–1800; patch¹ + -y¹

Related formspatch·i·ly, adverbpatch·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for patchy

fitful, sketchy, uneven, erratic, irregular, random, variable, varying

Examples from the Web for patchy

Contemporary Examples of patchy

The population distribution of these marvelous creatures is patchy too.
William: We Must Not Let Lions Disappear
Tom Sykes
April 26, 2012
We know British intelligence at the time on WMD was "patchy and sporadic."
Tony Blair, Outcast
Andrew Neil
February 1, 2010

Historical Examples of patchy

He played where the wickets were all patchy, and you had to watch the ball right on to the bat.
Danger! and Other Stories
Arthur Conan Doyle
Debate, on the whole, patchy, with hopeless air of unreality about it.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 105 December 23rd, 1893
Various
Patchy had lately been reading the story of Joseph and his brethren.
The Riverpark Rebellion
Homer Greene
The Dutch samplers might, as a rule, be described as patchy.
Samplers and Tapestry Embroideries
Marcus Bourne Huish
The result is patchy, and the removal of evils partial and unsystematic.
Boy Labour and Apprenticeship
Reginald Arthur Bray

British Dictionary definitions for patchy

patchy

adjective patchier or patchiest

irregular in quality, occurrence, intensity, etca patchy essay
having or forming patches

Derived Formspatchily, adverbpatchiness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for patchy

adj.

1798, from patch (n.1) + -y (2).