- irregular in quality, occurrence, intensity, etc: a patchy essay
- having or forming patches
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
patch•y /ˈpætʃi/USA pronunciation
adj., -i•er, -i•est.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- of or relating to patches.
- not regular in quality, texture, or distribution:patchy fog.
patch•y
(pach′ē),USA pronunciation adj., patch•i•er, patch•i•est.
patch′i•ly, adv.
patch′i•ness, n.
- characterized by or made up of patches.
- occurring in, forming, or like patches.
- of inconsistent or irregular quality, texture, etc.;
not uniform:patchy acting; patchy areas of fog.
- patch1 + -y1 1790–1800
patch′i•ness, n.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
patchy /ˈpætʃɪ/ adj (patchier, patchiest)
'patchy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):