patchwork

noun

patch·​work ˈpach-ˌwərk 

often attributive

1

: something composed of miscellaneous or incongruous parts : hodgepodge

2

: pieces of cloth of various colors and shapes sewn together to form a covering

also : something resembling such a covering

a patchwork of fields

Illustration of patchwork

• patchwork 2

Synonyms

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• alphabet soup
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• collage
• crazy quilt
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hodgepodge
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• medley
• mélange
• menagerie
• miscellanea
• miscellany
• mishmash
• mixed bag
• montage
• motley
• muddle
• olio
• olla podrida
• omnium-gatherum
• pastiche
• patchwork quilt
• potpourri
• ragbag
• ragout
• rummage
• salad
• salmagundi
• scramble
• shuffle
• smorgasbord
• stew
• tumble
• variety
• welter

Examples of patchwork in a Sentence

The valley is a patchwork of family farms.

A patchwork of laws prevent the land from being developed.

a patchwork system of laws

Recent Examples on the Web

The fertile patchwork of green fields crisscrossed by silvery waterways has helped stave off famine since the Vietnam War ended in 1975. —Aniruddha Ghosal, Fortune Asia, 23 Apr. 2024

The county’s patchwork of tree-planting programs has been unable to keep up with tree loss caused by hurricanes and rapid development. —Alyssa Johnson, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024

The legislation would also require the Food and Drug Administration to develop best practices and potential regulation for milk donation, processing, storage, and distribution, which could supersede today’s patchwork of state programs with unstandardized donation and collection systems. —Sionika Thayagabalu and Dominick Lemas, STAT, 18 Apr. 2024

Elevated basics like a floral patchwork shirt by Bode and a lime green Acne Studios jacket were brought to life by Scribner. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 17 Apr. 2024

The Los Angeles Times article reprinted in the East Bay Times offers a list of patchwork proposals. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024

Environmental and conservation groups worried that the court decision would create a patchwork of state protections, threatening water quality in regional waterbodies like the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. —Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024

Over hundreds of years, the Dutch have struggled to manage their sodden patchwork of land. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

There is good reason to support regulating autonomous vehicles on the state rather than local level, thereby avoiding a confusing patchwork of rules throughout California. —Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing patchwork

• patchwork quilt

Kids Definition

patchwork

noun

patch·​work ˈpach-ˌwərk 

1

: something made up of various parts

2

: pieces of cloth of various colors and shapes sewn together usually in a pattern

patchwork adjective