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
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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
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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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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jackleg
Adjective
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Inside the house, a 33-year-old amateur gunsmith who goes by the pseudonym Yeezy wondered what to do.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026 -
In hacker circles, such moves are considered amateur mistakes.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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At $18 or even $15 per hour, many companies don’t see value in hiring inexperienced teens who require extensive training to interact with customers, let alone achieve some measure of productivity.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
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Lagway’s depature after 19 starts leaves the Gators to choose between two talented, yet inexperienced options with just one combined start — by Philo against Gardner-Webb in 2025.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Johnson County He was arrested last August on charges of abuse of office and corrupt influence.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
-
The kidnappings have been linked to run-ins with drug cartels and corrupt government officials, while there have also been cases involving young women who worked at the country’s many factories.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
Noun
-
Take a bunch of kids who’ve never been out of East Tennessee.—
Holly Gleason,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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Your support will help ease the financial burden and give Pam and her kids a sense of hope and security.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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Even when degraded, enzymes have stable backbones that might be capable of catalyzing reactions, said Sudha Rajamani, an astrobiologist at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune who wasn’t involved in the study.—
Siddhant Pusdekar,
Quanta Magazine,
1 June 2026
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According to the company, QTT enables highly secure and resilient position, navigation, and timing (PNT) services, helping maintain accurate timing and synchronization even when traditional GPS and radio-frequency signals are unavailable, degraded, or intentionally jammed.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
How to find Mercury on June 15 The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of the night sky.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
15 June 2026
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Most beginner DIYers should be able to handle this quick maintenance task.—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Having a sick pet is emotionally a lot to handle.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
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Preventing infestation Just because one calf is sick doesn’t mean the entire herd will get it, Cammack said.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Jackleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jackleg. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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