patchy

adjective

Definition of patchynext
as in dilapidated

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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 patchy Lawn grasses, even those labeled for shade, are usually patchy and thin in shade. — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026 As Greenhalgh wrote, the engineers had stitched together patchy data and extrapolated it to two decimal points with false precision. — Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 Frequently Scalping your lawn in hot weather can be detrimental to its health, causing areas to die and the lawn to become patchy, says Handley. — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 2 Aug. 2026 Regardless of the patchy progress on some of Saudi’s most ambitious projects, visitors will see a country barely recognizable from the recent past. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for patchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patchy
  1. dilapidated
  2. faded
  3. shredded
  4. mangy
  5. dingy
  6. decrepit
  7. holey
  8. tacky
Adjective
  • Instead, city staff could first more narrowly issue an order to repair a dilapidated historic building and then expedite approval for those repairs on the back end, without needing a hearing through the Historic Preservation Commission.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The zoo, which houses more than 1,600 animals, has become dilapidated over the years.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of dilapidated
Adjective
  • The team behind this research studied 14 candidates for faded or remnant radio galaxies found in a region of the sky over Earth, studied intensely by the XMM-Newton X-ray spacecraft, called the XMM–Newton Large-Scale Structure (XMM–LSS) field.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • How to Deadhead Coneflowers Deadheading coneflowers is as simple as removing the faded flower heads.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of faded
Adjective
  • Disappearing chicken is a baked dip that’s loaded with shredded chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and diced green chiles.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The lawsuit alleged that Kebert ate an Avocado Ranch Chicken Stacker at the Meadville Taco Bell on or around July 7, a meal that contained shredded lettuce distributed by Taylor Farms.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of shredded
Adjective
  • Too mangy, too rangy, prowling in their bony elegance, leaping weightless from dangerously precarious mounds of sharp edges, peering yellow- eyed from shadows.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 May 2026
  • To write, especially in a first draft, is to submit myself to the mangy, cackling glory of not knowing.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of mangy
Adjective
  • Nothing ages a bathroom like tile that is dingy, dull, or black with mold and mildew.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
  • In response, the leader of Arioka orders Kanbei be thrown in the castle’s impeccably dingy dungeon.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of dingy
Adjective
  • The old guard will become increasingly decrepit, which will lead to a rash of vacancies one way or another.
    — Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Its buildings crumbled, the facility became decrepit, and weeds grew through the racetrack surface.
    — Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of decrepit
Adjective
  • Don’t donate moldy, ripped, or holey shoes or pairs with no structure.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2026
  • That’s thanks to a quirk of South Florida’s geology, where the entire region is perched on holey rock that does little to stop the rise of groundwater, which Sukop’s research has shown is rising on pace with sea level.
    — Susan Merriam, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2025
Definition of holey
Adjective
  • The formula is hydrating, but absorbs quickly into the skin without leaving behind a tacky residue.
    — Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Together, all of these tips will prevent your living room from ever feeling tacky.
    — Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of tacky

Browse Nearby Words

patchworks
patchy
pat down
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Patchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patchy. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of patchy for Spanish Speakers

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