as in incomplete
not complete or clear or having a lot of details
His memory of the incident was sketchy. Details are still sketchy, but there are rumors that next year's model will be completely redesigned.
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Recent Examples of sketchy
From a rough boat ride in Mozambique to a downpour in Poland, this water-resistant backpack with more than 12,666 five-star ratings on Amazon has kept my valuables dry in some pretty sketchy situations.
—
Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2026
Michigan’s depth is a bit sketchy, especially at guard.
—The Athletic College Basketball Staff, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
This is the cloud forest, yes, but its elevation is actually lower, so those whose adjustment in the city was sketchy tend to find relief.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
Our flustered narrator attempts to defend himself on the grounds of sketchy reporting ethics—don’t some interviewers take notes and extrapolate later?
—Hannah Gold, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sketchy
Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2026
Michigan’s depth is a bit sketchy, especially at guard.
—The Athletic College Basketball Staff, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
This is the cloud forest, yes, but its elevation is actually lower, so those whose adjustment in the city was sketchy tend to find relief.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
Our flustered narrator attempts to defend himself on the grounds of sketchy reporting ethics—don’t some interviewers take notes and extrapolate later?
—Hannah Gold, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sketchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sketchy
Adjective
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Being saddled with inadequate accounting software leads to incomplete data, reporting errors, compliance issues, duplicate records, and, eventually, the headache of moving to an entirely new platform.—
Dana Miranda,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Late or incomplete entries will be void.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Art historians believe it was unfinished at the time El Greco died in 1614 and that it was completed by the painter’s son, Jorge Manuel, with help from other apprentices in El Greco’s workshop.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
17 Apr. 2026
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The roundabout near Zalaegerszeg is not the only unfinished or unhelpful project in Hungary to have received EU funds.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This year, the administration’s budget proposal doesn’t include a hard deadline for phasing out SLS and Orion, just the vaguer request to look for commercial alternatives.—
Sana Pashankar,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
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There’s just sort of vague purple-ish themes throughout the special.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Exactly how many of those came directly from jail is unclear.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Apr. 2026
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Jenkins noted the drop could provide some short-term relief but with Middle East conditions still unclear, prices could move higher again.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Smoke from the fires has drifted far beyond South Georgia, with residents in Atlanta and across the metro area reporting a strong smell of burning and hazy skies.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
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North and central Georgia are also expected to see hazy skies as smoke from fires in northern Florida and southern Georgia is carried northward, according to the National Weather Service in Atlanta.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sketchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sketchy. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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