1
as in amateur
being such only for recreation
a toolshed that can be built by any jackleg carpenter who's capable of hitting a nail without smashing his thumb
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in inexperienced
lacking or showing a lack of expert skill
he did such a jackleg installation of that door frame that now the door won't shut
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
a jackleg lawyer whose clients consist mainly of drug dealers and child molesters
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in kid
a person who lacks experience and competence in an art or science
you can't rely on a bunch of jacklegs to run your dairy farm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jackleg
Adjective
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Set in the late 1980s, the movie is a New York micro-drama about a fellow named Jimmy George — an amateur performance artist who is battling AIDS, keeping the illness at bay with AZT.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
20 May 2026 -
His 19-year-old son-in-law is an amateur heavyweight fighter.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Another risk is infection from non-sterile equipment, which might happen if the procedure is done by inexperienced technicians or in non-medical settings, Hazan says.—
Erica Sweeney,
Time,
11 May 2026
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The other strong selling point is that the inexperienced videographer doesn't have to fiddle with a load of settings before recording.—
David Szondy
May 09,
New Atlas,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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The film explores themes of power and coming of age in a corrupt society, with campus culture wars and climate grief at its center.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide, breaks into the mansion of the corrupt police chief Bernal and steals the money from his safe, unloading the funds to slum dwellers whose settlement Bernal razed down.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The kid from Sin City looked like a winner from the first pull, gaining 777 receiving yards with three TDs as a rookie.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
Many other people reject formal education (for other people, though usually not for their own kids) as unnecessary to attaining the highest ranks of wealth and power.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Adjective
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But in 2003, it was considered too degraded to be capable of producing a match using methods available at the time.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
And here was someone who was being completely humiliated, publicly humiliated, degraded, disgraced, handed a punishment that no member of the family has had — to have all their titles taken away, to be effectively un-royal, de-royaled.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Replit has broad reach across beginners, educators and enterprises alike.—
Rebecca Fannin,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
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Tomatoes are a fairly easy fruit to plant and take care, especially for beginner gardeners.—
Asia London Palomba,
The Spruce,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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That night, both the President and his wife periodically fled upstairs to check on their most beloved son, the eleven-year-old Willie, sick with a fever that would kill him two weeks later.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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What this narrative neglects are all the ways treatment might cause terrible side effects, or the long period one spends being sick, and how one’s identity may have changed in the interim.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Jackleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jackleg. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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