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jerry-built 1 of 2

adjective

ˈjer-ē-ˌbilt How to pronounce jerry-built (audio)
Definition of jerry-builtnext
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

jerry-built

2 of 2

verb

past tense of jerry-build
as in rebuilt

Related Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerry-built
  1. clumsy
  2. rebuilt
  3. rough
  4. reconstructed
  5. rude
  6. retrofitted
  7. flawed
  8. devised
Adjective
  • Such attempts to touch on the highly personal connections people have to Oasis’s music feel clumsy and forced, especially when juxtaposed with the brothers’ rather anonymous comments.
    — Elena Lazic, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • After meeting at a society reception, Henry sets out to marry Henrietta, an endearingly clumsy, overly apologetic botanist with ambitions of discovering a new species of fern.
    — Air Mail, Air Mail, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Verb
  • Originally built in the mid-1200s as a fortress, it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries.
    — Lucy Handley, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Add in production design with a 1977 New York, San Francisco and Washington, all rebuilt with period specificity.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of rebuilt
Adjective
  • In 2024, Swift joined the Bears as a free agent whose production didn’t match the contract in a rough year overall for the offense.
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • After a rough preseason that included missing a block that got Dart crushed and fumbling, Tracy could next lose his spot on the gameday active roster — if not his job entirely — with Najee Harris waiting to step in.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of rough
Verb
  • Following severe damage in World War II, the complex was extensively reconstructed in the mid-to-late 20th century.
    — Lucy Handley, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • In this minute-by-minute timeline, CNN reconstructed how news of the attacks unfolded.
    — Kaanita Iyer, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of reconstructed
Adjective
  • For instance, your colleagues may be very agreeable and kind to their boss but rude to their more junior colleagues, or the cafeteria waiter.
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Totally ignoring the humanity of both worker and customer is rude, and yet both parties are interested in getting on with whatever the transaction is.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of rude
Verb
  • Additionally, external protectors can be retrofitted onto individual chain links.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026
  • American Airlines retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER Premium Economy section.
    — Michele Luhn, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of retrofitted
Adjective
  • And yet, when Szumowska and Englert portray Fyodor’s reaction to the couple’s pregnancy, the birth of their child, and a subsequent tragedy, Anna’s adoration for this utterly flawed man almost feels justified.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • But the diagnosis dominating today’s political discourse is fundamentally flawed.
    — Norbert J. Michel, Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of flawed
Verb
  • Davis’s Friday ruling means the government must now disclose who devised the fund’s structure, but the information will not necessarily be made available to the public.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers devised a lower-thrust trajectory that saved BepiColombo's mission but delayed its Mercury arrival from December 2025 to November 2026.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of devised
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

jerry-builds
jerry-built
jerry-rigged
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Cite this Entry

“Jerry-built.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerry-built. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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