ropey
Britishadjective
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informal
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inferior or inadequate
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slightly unwell; below par
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(of a viscous or sticky substance) forming strands or filaments
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resembling a rope
ropey muscles
Other Word Forms
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.
A review from the technology outlet Tech Advisor found the phone to be “based heavily” on the HTC U24 and called it “a rather ropey two-year-old phone.”
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
One try, 10 carries, 18 tackles - he was an absolute pest just as soon as the Lions settled down after their initial ropey period.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
