Meaning

Roughly or hastily laid out; intended for later refinement..

Definitions by Sense

1. Roughly or hastily laid out; intended for later refinement.
2. Not thorough or detailed.
3. Resembling a comedy sketch, of sketch quality.
4. (Canada, US, slang) Of questionable or doubtful quality.
5. (Canada, US, slang, of a person) Suspected of taking part in illicit or dishonorable dealings.
6. (Canada, US, slang, of a person) Disturbing or unnerving, often in such a way that others may suspect them of intending physical or sexual harm or harassment.
7. (Australia, slang, of a situation) Disturbing, or indicating possible danger.

Example Sentences

The first draft included a sketchy design.

This is still in the design stage, so details are sketchy.

Bellos and Montagu offer a few sketchy alternatives, such as shorter post mortem protections or a curb on corporate rights capture, and call for a “broad debate” on copyright's future.

The sketchy repair job did not look like it would hold.

Because he is so sketchy, I always think that he is up to something.

The downside of working with sketchy dudes on building sites and in greasy spoons was that they were sketchy, but they also knew shady things.

Jack is so sketchy. I think he's stalking me.

"We were a bit nervous about it, seeing heaps of surfers out there on the breaks," he said. "There were some nice breaks, but it looked pretty sketchy with the sharks, so yeah, we just tried to stay away from that beach."

Word Forms

• sketchier
• sketchiest

Synonyms for sketchy

Related Words

When Should You Use Sketchy?

Use sketchy when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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