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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
Reece Rogers, WIRED, 2 July 2024
The 1984 Cubs changed the perception of a neighborhood that once was seen as sketchy, leading local real estate agents to start calling the area Wrigleyville, a much trendier-sounding name than Lakeview East.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2024
As columnist Abe Kwok points out, UA made a sketchy call to acquire a financially troubled online university and allowed overspending by nearly every academic unit on campus.
—Joanna Allhands, The Arizona Republic, 1 Feb. 2024
Feliz’s new bill could further solidify the city’s efforts by removing costs for delivery workers who are still relying on sketchy e-bikes but would prefer to use safe e-bikes.
—Tim Balk, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sketchy 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sketchy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Sketchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sketchy. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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