patchier; patchiest
1
: marked by, consisting of, or diversified with patches
2
: irregular in appearance, makeup, or quality
patchily adverb
patchiness noun

Examples of patchy in a Sentence

The lawn is kind of patchy this year. Patchy fog made driving difficult. His knowledge of the language is patchy. She has only a patchy understanding of his condition.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
While many didn’t supply much outside of a nice scent and a tingling sensations, others improved our strands before our very eyes — filling in previously patchy spots, boosting thickness, and restoring the confidence from our good hair days of yore. Alyssa Brascia, People.com, 29 Oct. 2024 There’s also a chance of patchy drizzle in Los Angeles County starting late Sunday night. Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2024 Internet access across sub-Saharan Africa is patchy to say the least: while around two thirds of people in southern Africa are online, that falls to only 24% in Central Africa, while the figure for West Africa is around 30%. Sandy Carter, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 Added to this, the regulatory environment around health care AI has been patchy, particularly in the U.S. where the framework has only recently started catching up with European standards. Chris Morris, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for patchy 

Word History

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of patchy was in 1583

Dictionary Entries Near patchy

Cite this Entry

“Patchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patchy. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

patchy

adjective
patchier; patchiest
: consisting of or marked by patches : resembling patchwork
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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