sketchy

adjective

ˈske-chē 

sketchier; sketchiest

1

: of the nature of a sketch : roughly outlined

2

: wanting in completeness, clearness, or substance : slight, superficial

the details are sketchy

3

: questionable, iffy

got into a sketchy situation

a sketchy character

sketchily

ˈske-chə-lē 

adverb

sketchiness

ˈske-chē-nəs 

noun

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The Varied Meanings of Sketchy

A sketch is a rough drawing usually done as an initial draft in contrast to a finished work. The word sketch suggests imperfection and a lack of refinement. It comes from the Dutch word schets and ultimately from the Italian verb schizzare, an imitative verb meaning "to splash."

Unsurprisingly, the adjective sketchy originally described something relating to or resembling a sketch, as in "a sketchy portrait." But because sketches are by nature rough and ill-defined, sketchy soon came to mean "wanting in completeness, clearness, or substance," as in "a sketchy understanding" or "sketchy details."

What lacks completeness, clearness, or substance is also subject to doubt or challenge, and sketchy went on to develop uses applying to what is questionable or iffy, either for physically obvious qualities or for something less tangible. In sports we see this sense of sketchy applied to a track or surface that is poorly maintained, as in "a sketchy track," and in broader use it is applied to streets and neighborhoods that can also be described as seedy, as in "a sketchy part of town."

The adjective has more recently extended in use to describe someone who creates an impression of unsavoriness, or something that comes from an untrustworthy source or is itself untrustworthy, as in "a sketchy dude" or "a scheme that sounds sketchy."

Examples of sketchy in a Sentence

The details about the accident are still a little sketchy.

I have only a sketchy idea of how it works.

Recent Examples on the Web

Entangled in the ensuing chaos is Mullen’s longtime aide/fixer/something Roger (Jesse Plemons), his former chief-of-staff Valerie (Connie Britton), the head of the CIA (Bill Camp), a Tucker Carlson-esque pundit (Dan Stevens), a Jeffrey Epstein-esque sketchy billionaire (Clark Gregg) and more. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025

But somewhere in the United States, and this is true, a heavy night of drinking and Chinese cuisine consumption by a couple of mouth breathers became a sketchy wager. —David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2025

Then comes the chill An elevated risk of rip currents makes boating conditions sketchy as the cold front starts slipping through on Thursday, the National Weather Service in Miami said. —Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2025

So the idea of foods ready to go seemed sketchy to me. —Hugh Grant, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sketchy

adjective

ˈskech-ē 

sketchier; sketchiest

1

: of the nature of a sketch : roughly outlined

2

: lacking completeness, clearness, or substance : slight, vague