as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed
my jerry-built wine racks may not look pretty, but they get the job done
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerry-built
Adjective
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For starters, even at 4 mm by 4 mm, the Utah array would be too big and clumsy a hunk of hardware for Science to implant in the eye or Synchron to thread through a vein.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025 -
What resulted is one of the most comic, counterproductive, and clumsy episodes in the long history of British efforts to deal with Ireland.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Under his watch, the state opened the Second Avenue Subway, rebuilt LaGuardia Airport, and unveiled the gleaming Moynihan Train Hall.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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Named after a twice burned and rebuilt legendary tavern in Garrard County, Kentucky, Burnt Tavern Bourbon carries a subtle whisper of smoke, echoing its fiery past in every sip.—
Gege Reed,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Doctors said a section of Sanders' intestine was reconstructed to function as a bladder.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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At Dia, the cage has been reconstructed in full, complete with Hsieh’s boots and his tally marks gouged into the wall.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Other government notices mentioned the size and rough location of the construction.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Yams tend to be white fleshed with a rough, brown exterior.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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People at work have made rude comments pertaining to my hearing.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
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Though Jackson acknowledged that those time crunches can be stressful, being rude isn't the way to go.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Another attractive point of the system is that existing drum motors can be retrofitted with the new technology.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Oct. 2025
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The bills would give local governments the authority to set stricter fire safety rules, such as requiring landlords to retrofit older buildings with sprinklers.—
Gina Lee Castro,
jsonline.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The London punk rebels seized the revolutionary spirit of 1977 with their raw manifesto The Clash, then refined their sound with the flawed Give ‘Em Enough Rope.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
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The foundation of this 2025 team is flawed, and McDaniel should shoulder just as much blame for this team’s issues, which pop up week to week, especially during the losses.—
Omar Kelly
November 7,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In the 19th century, the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace devised his own theory of evolution, independent of Charles Darwin, while visiting the region to research his book, The Malay Archipelago.—
Gisela Williams,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Jan. 2026
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And to that end, the Islamic Republic may have devised a failsafe for itself against popular anger.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Jerry-built.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerry-built. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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