as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed
a jerry-rigged switch to keep the machine in operation until it can be repaired
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Recent Examples of jerry-rigged
Lenovo's software has also matured, so switching between games feels more like playing a game console and less like a laptop jerry-rigged into a handheld.
—
Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
This repurposing reflects how biological evolution is jerry-rigged, making use of what’s available.
—Philip Ball, Wired News, 8 June 2025
Amanda, introduced only briefly in the first movie, takes center stage as she and a group of troubled (and particularly shouty) people try to fight their way out of a house jerry-rigged with all manner of nasty devices.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 10 May 2025
Ali Al-Ahmed, a dissident Saudi scholar who kept in touch with Sahar, sent me a photograph of an apparatus that the sisters had jerry-rigged to distill fresh water from the sea, and one of a copper hook for catching fish and crabs.
—Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024
Content by this author: Doomed From the Start Obamacare is a typically American concoction: a complicated program jerry-rigged to appeal to people with little faith in government.
—Kimberly J. Morgan, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
But arguably the most common and effective drones used by both sides have been simple, cheap devices whose parts are available to any consumer with an Amazon account, and jerry-rigged to carry small bombs or shells.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Jan. 2024
Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
This repurposing reflects how biological evolution is jerry-rigged, making use of what’s available.
—Philip Ball, Wired News, 8 June 2025
Amanda, introduced only briefly in the first movie, takes center stage as she and a group of troubled (and particularly shouty) people try to fight their way out of a house jerry-rigged with all manner of nasty devices.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 10 May 2025
Ali Al-Ahmed, a dissident Saudi scholar who kept in touch with Sahar, sent me a photograph of an apparatus that the sisters had jerry-rigged to distill fresh water from the sea, and one of a copper hook for catching fish and crabs.
—Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024
Content by this author: Doomed From the Start Obamacare is a typically American concoction: a complicated program jerry-rigged to appeal to people with little faith in government.
—Kimberly J. Morgan, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
But arguably the most common and effective drones used by both sides have been simple, cheap devices whose parts are available to any consumer with an Amazon account, and jerry-rigged to carry small bombs or shells.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Jan. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerry-rigged
Adjective
-
Actually, Alma does suffer from ulcers, which cause her extraordinary stomach pain and vomiting at inconvenient moments, and cause viewers to wonder not if but when such clumsy symbolic traits will be trotted out in the future.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Oct. 2025
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There had to be an element of her that was sort of clumsy.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The plants in the kingdom were designed to convert crude oil directly into chemical products.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Yet for every tonne of biodiesel produced, over 220 pounds (100 kilograms) of crude glycerol is generated.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Pydynowski told that there could be be gusty winds, rough surf, coastal flooding and beach erosion this weekend into Monday—primarily along North Carolina’s Outer Banks northward into southern New England.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Leo, hired as their lead guitarist, had the right look—rough around the edges, with long dark hair and tanned skin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Moreover, dogs may react negatively to a person's actions, especially if someone is rude or unfriendly, particularly toward their owner.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Angry and rude to their neighbors while fearing the end of the republic?—
David M. Drucker,
Twin Cities,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Still, the Jays were an obviously flawed team this season.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
-
That can mean stories of women being powerful, flawed, beautiful, ugly, mothers and professionals.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jerry-rigged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerry-rigged. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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