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Synonyms

sketchy

American  
[skech-ee] / ˈskɛtʃ i /

adjective

sketchier, sketchiest

  1. like a sketch; giving only outlines or essentials.

    Synonyms:
    crude, meager, rough, cursory

  2. imperfect, incomplete, slight, or superficial.

    a sketchy meal.

  3. Informal.

    1. unreliable or unsafe.

      That street looks pretty sketchy.

    2. disreputable or shady.

      I'd stay away from him; he's got a sketchy past.
sketchy British  
/ ˈskɛtʃɪ /

adjective

  1. characteristic of a sketch; existing only in outline

  2. superficial or slight

  3. informal uncertain or unreliable

"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

  • sketchily adverb
  • sketchiness noun

Etymology

Origin of sketchy

First recorded in 1795–1805; sketch + -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.

Details remain sketchy, and other reports suggest Iran is unwilling to negotiate without security guarantees.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

The 22-year-old American served six double faults and was broken five times in a sketchy display, but she had enough to win through and set up a match against Amanda Anisimova or Belinda Bencic.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Third-party sellers can be sketchy and might not honor refund policies.

From Salon • Feb. 11, 2026

“Things got a little sketchy during COVID, because people got desperate and we couldn’t play. But before that, we were all best friends. It was so beautiful. It wasn’t like other bands.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026

Westerberg found the station in time to catch the tail end of the Paul Harvey broadcast, and he was forced to agree: The few sketchy details made the anonymous hiker sound distressingly like his friend.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

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.