jury-rigged 1 of 2

adjective

as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed a jury-rigged system for supplying the town's water while the main pumping station is being repaired

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jury-rigged

2 of 2

verb

past tense of jury-rig
as in patched (together)
to make or assemble roughly or hastily we jury-rigged shelves out of cartons and crates until we could afford real furniture

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of jury-rigged
Verb
The trade between the periphery and the core was jury-rigged to favor the latter. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jury-rigged
  1. clumsy
  2. rough
  3. rude
  4. flawed
  5. imperfect
Adjective
  • The other, in quite clumsy English, requested a very careful renovation of Ingmar Bergman’s house on the island of Fårö, in Sweden.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026
  • He was saved by the presence nearby of Lisandro Martinez, but the challenge was so unorthodox, clumsy and deliberate that many referees would have cautioned the defender.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of clumsy
Adjective
  • Bannister Road has been rough to drive on for seemingly years.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
  • The relationship between the two had been rough for a while, and Traci was excited to build a new life for herself independent of her husband.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026
Definition of rough
Adjective
  • In the nearly 90-second recording, Varela calls the customer service representative lazy, rude and racist and asks her for her name tag.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • Posey can deliver an absurd line with such conviction that arguing with her would seem rude.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of rude
Adjective
  • Thomas Tuchel – for all his talk of remodelling England – didn’t ultimately deviate from the old flawed system.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 24 July 2026
  • For Yard Act’s 2022 debut, The Overload, the quartet chiseled flamboyant caricatures of British life and portrayed their flawed country with an abrasive, punishing tone.
    — Victoria Borlando, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026
Definition of flawed
Adjective
  • Room numbers are handwritten on the doors rather than printed—an intentionally imperfect detail that nods to Berlin’s slightly rough-around-the-edges character.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 July 2026
  • Second, shame tolerance, launching imperfect products early, overcoming discomfort with being seen unfinished.
    — Andy Molinsky, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of imperfect

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Jury-rigged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jury-rigged. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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