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 of patchwork

• jumble
• medley
• variety
• assortment
• collage
• hodgepodge
• mishmash

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

Yet without laws allowing for domestic partnerships of three or more people, they are left spending thousands of dollars on attorney’s fees to craft a patchwork of legal agreements that afford just small fraction of the contractual protection conferred to married couples by default. —Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026

Its director was supposed to be the new boss who would oversee an intelligence community that had become a patchwork of more than a dozen different agencies. —Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2026

Experts say the overall patchwork of federal and state funding for call centers remains insufficient to meet the true level of need. —Devi Shastri, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026

When Bonta took office in January 2024, the city owned just one-third of that site, a patchwork of properties. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing patchwork

• patchwork quilt

Rhymes for patchwork

• artwork
• beadwork
• berserk
• breastwork
• brickwork
• brushwork
• casework
• classwork
• clockwork
• coursework
• ductwork
• earthwork

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