sketchy

[ skech-ee ]
See synonyms for sketchy on Thesaurus.com
adjective,sketch·i·er, sketch·i·est.
  1. like a sketch; giving only outlines or essentials.

  2. imperfect, incomplete, slight, or superficial: a sketchy meal.

  1. Informal.

    • unreliable or unsafe: That street looks pretty sketchy.

    • disreputable or shady: I'd stay away from him; he's got a sketchy past.

Origin of sketchy

1
First recorded in 1795–1805; sketch + -y1

Other words for sketchy

Other words from sketchy

  • sketch·i·ly, adverb
  • sketch·i·ness, noun

Words Nearby sketchy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sketchy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sketchy

sketchy

/ (ˈskɛtʃɪ) /


adjectivesketchier or sketchiest
  1. characteristic of a sketch; existing only in outline

  2. superficial or slight

  1. informal uncertain or unreliable

Derived forms of sketchy

  • sketchily, adverb
  • sketchiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012