ropey

British

/ ˈrəʊpɪ /

adjective

informal
1. inferior or inadequate
2. slightly unwell; below par
(of a viscous or sticky substance) forming strands or filaments
resembling a rope

ropey muscles

"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

ropily adverb
ropiness noun

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.

Possibly churlish not to get the full 10, but he played a pretty ropey shot in the first innings.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025

When it got a little bit ropey towards the end, that chance fell to him and I don't think anyone thought he was going to miss.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2025

“He was able to extricate John’s voice from a ropey little bit of cassette, where it had John’s voice and a piano,” McCartney said in this week’s interview.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2023

Jackson was “able to extricate John’s voice from a ropey little bit of cassette and a piano,” McCartney told BBC radio.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 13, 2023

And though Finn was tall, his arms and legs ropey with farm muscle, the Rudes were wider and stronger, and there were about four and a half too many of them.

From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023