choppy

adjective

chop·​py ˈchä-pē 

choppier; choppiest

1

: being roughened : chapped

2

: rough with small waves

3

a

: interrupted by ups and downs

choppy terrain

a choppy career

b

: jerky

short choppy strides

c

: disconnected

choppy writing

choppily

ˈchä-pə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of choppy

• sporadic
• occasional
• intermittent
• sudden
• erratic

Examples of choppy in a Sentence

a sharp, choppy wind coming off the lake

the old cable car provides a picturesque but choppy ride to the mountain's peak

the plot was intriguing, but the author's style was so choppy that I finally gave up in frustration

Recent Examples on the Web

The editing of the show is frenetic, the better to hold a distractible YouTube audience’s attention and provide fodder for clips, and as a result much of the dialogue comes across as choppy, with Rahma inserting quick punch lines. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 10 June 2026

Tesla Elon Musk’s electric-vehicle maker is a good example of a stock that experienced extremely choppy trading after its IPO. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 9 June 2026

In the heyday of her career, her choppy hair, flat chest, sickly pallor and large darting eyes were a manic pixie dream. —Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026

Connor saw it on choppy fields, on pavement, on beaches, in rundown stadiums and gleaming ones. —Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

chop entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for choppy

• copy
• floppy
• poppy
• sloppy
• atopy
• photocopy

Kids Definition

choppy

1 of 2 adjective

chop·​py ˈchäp-ē 

choppier; choppiest

: changeable sense 1, variable

choppy wind

choppy

2 of 2 adjective

choppier; choppiest

1

: rough with small waves

the lake was choppy

2

: marked by sudden stops and starts : not connected smoothly

short choppy sentences

choppiness noun