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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Our hands soon became insensitive, clumsy hooks.—
Jim Hoagland,
Outdoor Life,
30 Apr. 2026 -
The production is a revival of the disappointingly fussy, clumsy, old-fashioned one by Lee Blakeley the company unveiled in 2013 for Conlon and to celebrate the Verdi bicentennial.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While the original church was built in 1545, it was demolished and rebuilt in 1705.—
Regina Zumarraga,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Sets would be built and then junked only to be rebuilt again at considerable cost due to an overall lack of familiarity with standard Hollywood filmmaking procedures.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Stiles said the building was slated to be demolished and reconstructed to be used as a school site.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In his biography of Fuller, Nevala-Lee reconstructed the crash from contemporary newspaper accounts, official records, and Fuller’s own contemporaneous notes.—
Bill Gourgey,
Popular Science,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The suspension control software from their high-performance cars has enabled Ferrari to develop an algorithm to keep the boat stable, Ribigini adds, which will be vital at all times, but particularly in rough seas and strong winds.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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Krejczyk and Gagen, meanwhile, are enjoying a season that started rough but has gotten better.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Meeting a partner’s family can be challenging in any circumstance; anxieties about a family member saying something rude or belittling can only compound that.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Ohm, well played by Scott who can wither with you with a look, is the classic ugly American and is rude to everyone at the hotel, but those putdowns and cruelty hides his self loathing.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The federal government has issued contracts for over $300 million to retrofit the warehouse.—
Cara Tabachnick,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Environmentally friendly and industrial professionals have demonstrated that a functional ship can be retrofitted with little difficulty.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Nuggets are fundamentally flawed.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
-
DeSantis said the 2020 census was flawed and undercounted people in the state.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Recently, the field has experienced a sort of renaissance as researchers — many of them astrophysics refugees like Dwyer — have devised new ways to pierce the clouds.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
6 May 2026
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Meade, who at the time was eight years into a minimum 10-year prison sentence, devised a plan with co-conspirator Nicholas Umphenour to coordinate his escape from custody.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
5 May 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 8 May. 2026.
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