patchy
11
3.7
- adjective
- /ˈpæʧi/
:
irregular
- Some of my makeup was a little bit patchy, but that's okay.
- patchy distribution
- patchy habitat
- patchy areas
I don't think that should be patchy or Gray.
- I don't think that should be patchy or Gray.
- It's hard to look patchy wearing her shadows.
- It's almost blending out, like a little bit patchy and chalky.
- I feel like it's a little bit patchy as well.
- So it just looks very flat and dull and patchy.
Examples
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The live show is always a bit patchy.
-
This powder is kind of patchy as well, right?
-
OK, it looks very patchy in certain areas.
-
And you can really tell that this side is a lot more patchy than that side.
-
It should not look patchy at all.
-
Even so, the distribution of red alder is patchy, and it is absent from large areas.
Academic text (1997) -
Turning now to weather, the forecast for the coming weekend is bright and sunny with patchy early-morning clouds.
-
The weather's been patchy, but we've already seen some wonderful work by these talented dogs.
-
Faded posters of past performances, mostly ripped and patchy, were tacked onto the walls.
Fiction book (1997) -
The paint on the wall is patchy, with some areas much thicker than others.
Synonyms
42
2.3
Not smooth or level, with parts higher and lower
6
4.4
Having thin lines and uneven patches of different color or texture, like marks on bacon and skin
4
1.4
Marked with small spots or patches of a different color
3
5.6
A surface with uneven patches or spots
Shows areas of different color or material
Antonyms
How Consistent
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Patchy comes from the word patch, a small piece of cloth used to cover a hole, plus the ending -y that means 'full of' or 'like'. So something patchy is made of separate patches or bits and is uneven or not the same all over, which is why we say a lawn, an explanation, or knowledge can be 'patchy'.