1
as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence
a sharp, choppy wind coming off the lake
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rough
marked by a series of sharp quick motions
the old cable car provides a picturesque but choppy ride to the mountain's peak
Synonyms & Similar Words
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3
as in confusing
not clearly or logically connected
the plot was intriguing, but the author's style was so choppy that I finally gave up in frustration
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of choppy
There’s a moment every captain knows well: The sky darkens, the wind picks up and the sea turns choppy.
—
Wayne Anderman, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Things get a bit choppy and the ending lacks punch, but the performances from Kroll and Rannells are priceless and save the film from itself.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 6 June 2025
And that choppy, fractured feeling — as if the team wasn’t fully coalesced — spilled into the regular season.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Trading was again choppy after Moody's late Friday downgraded its rating on U.S. government debt.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for choppy
Wayne Anderman, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Things get a bit choppy and the ending lacks punch, but the performances from Kroll and Rannells are priceless and save the film from itself.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 6 June 2025
And that choppy, fractured feeling — as if the team wasn’t fully coalesced — spilled into the regular season.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Trading was again choppy after Moody's late Friday downgraded its rating on U.S. government debt.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for choppy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for choppy
Adjective
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Iran needs nuclear energy to meet the demands of its growing population; sporadic blackouts are already commonplace.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
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It’s sparked protests, vandalism and sporadic clashes with police that prompted President Trump to send military troops to downtown L.A., sparking questions over state rights.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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Avoid scrubbing the microwave’s interior with rough materials like steel wool or abrasive sponges.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
27 June 2025
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Ransom Canyon star Josh Duhamel didn’t have a rough time getting to know the set of his new film Off the Grid because the actor lives off the grid in real-life.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
The key is consistency – creating regular opportunities to develop listening muscles through practice rather than relegating Deep Listening to occasional workshops or retreats.—
Marybeth Gasman,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
-
Because geniuses tend not to specialize in things like picking up after themselves, the human price is often paid by a long-suffering partner-secretary—wifely figures like Véra Nabokov, Sophia Tolstoy, and Alice B. Toklas, or the occasional husband like Leonard Woolf.—
S. C. Cornell,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Avoid wobbly or uneven fittings to keep everything centered.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 June 2025
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That means Juno’s radio transmissions will experience the Doppler effect, where the wavelength shifts slightly in response to Io’s uneven gravitational field.—
Robin Andrews,
Wired News,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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This can result in inconsistent model behavior or bloated integrations.—
Adrian Bridgwater,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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Chiefs 2022 second-round pick Skyy Moore has been productive in practices but also needs to regain trust after previous inconsistent play.—
Jesse Newell,
Kansas City Star,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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That amounts to success through delay—a repeatable outcome, sustained through intermittent precision attacks.—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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Despite the relentless pre-match hype montages, intermittent deluges of FIFA self-congratulation and the blasting of Robbie Williams’ hilariously self-parodic tournament theme song at half-time.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Washington — The Senate passed a landmark piece of legislation to regulate crypto after a bumpy path through the upper chamber.—
June 17,
CBS News,
17 June 2025
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Consonant-heavy words lumber and stumble across a bumpy verbal landscape.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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What’s more frustrating is that neither of the bracket’s two best overall performers will be proceeding on to the semifinals, and in hindsight, one of them — Acid Betty — really wasn’t given a chance.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
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The most frustrating character on The Bear continues to be Claire (Molly Gordon), whose on-screen role in Season 3 was limited, but whose importance even as an unseen force has grown and grown.—
Linda Holmes,
NPR,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Choppy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choppy. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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