sketch

[skech]

noun

1. a simply or hastily executed drawing or painting, especially a preliminary one, giving the essential features without the details.

2. a rough design, plan, or draft, as of a book.

   Synonyms: outline

3. a brief or hasty outline of facts, occurrences, etc..

   a sketch of his life.

4. a short, usually descriptive, essay, history, or story.

5. a short play or slight dramatic performance, as one forming part of a vaudeville program.

   Synonyms: routine, act, skit

verb (used with object)

1. to make a sketch of.

   Synonyms: represent, delineate, design, outline, draw

2. to set forth in a brief or general account.

   He sketched his own part in the affair.

3. Metallurgy.,  (in a steel mill or the like) to mark (a piece) for cutting.

verb (used without object)

1. to make a sketch or sketches.

sketch

/ skɛtʃ /

noun

1. a rapid drawing or painting, often a study for subsequent elaboration

2. a brief usually descriptive and informal essay or other literary composition

3. a short play, often comic, forming part of a revue

4. a short evocative piece of instrumental music, esp for piano

5. any brief outline

verb

1. to make a rough drawing (of)

2. to make a brief description of

Other Word Forms

• sketcher noun
• sketchable adjective
• sketchingly adverb
• sketchlike adjective
• resketch verb (used with object)
• unsketched adjective
• well-sketched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sketch¹

1660–70; < Dutch schets (noun) ≪ Italian schizzo < Latin schedium extemporaneous poem, noun use of neuter of schedius extempore < Greek schédios

Word History and Origins

Origin of sketch¹

C17: from Dutch schets, via Italian from Latin schedius hastily made, from Greek skhedios unprepared

Synonym Study

See depict.

Example Sentences

But the book comes superbly to life in its character sketches, its bawling dialogue and its rugged sense of place.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The book efficiently sketches the troubled personal background that gave rise to those reserves of actorly sensitivity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He called her every day and kept a diary, sketching rap lyrics and poems in blue ballpoint pen.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

With a background in sketch comedy, Reich is also involved in its development and production, describing his time spent as 30% on Dropout shows and 70% on the company.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Wallace spends an average of 40 hours per sketch, and each one is set against bold, colorful type.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• account 
• blueprint 
• cartoon 
• chart 
• copy 
• depiction 
• description 
• illustration 
• likeness 
• painting 
• picture 
• piece 
• portrayal 
• summary 
• version 
• vignette 

When To Use

What is a basic definition of sketch?

A sketch is a drawing or painting that is usually made quickly and lacks finer details. Sketch is also used to mean to create a sketch of something. A sketch can also be a short dramatic performance. Sketch has a few other senses as a verb and a noun.Most artists begin with a sketch, or many sketches, before they work on what will be the final product, such as an oil painting. For example, cartoonists will often make a sketch of a new character without colors, shading, or detailed lines so they can get feedback before putting in too much effort. A painter may draw a sketch of landscape with colored pencils so they can figure out the best colors and shades that would go well together.

• Real-life examples: Many artists would be happy to draw a sketch of something for you if you pay them the right price. Police will often create a sketch of a suspect based on a witness’s description of them. You can find many early sketches of famous characters like Mickey Mouse and SpongeBob SquarePants on the internet.



• Used in a sentence: The artist made several sketches of the model before beginning his work on the elaborate portrait. 

In this same sense, sketch is used as a verb to mean to draw a sketch of something.

• Used in a sentence: I sketched a cat in my notebook during the boring lecture. 

A sketch is also a short dramatic performance, especially one that is part of a comedy show. Comedic performances that consist solely of a collection of short, humorous stories are known as sketch comedy.

• Real-life examples: Saturday Night Live, The Kids in the Hall, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and Sesame Street are television programs that all use sketches.



• Used in a sentence: Chris Farley was in most of my favorite sketches from Saturday Night Live.