What does “patchy” mean?

patchy


Oh, this is a good one —

"Patchy" means something that is not even or consistent — it appears in some places but not others, or it works well sometimes but not always.

Like, imagine fog on a road — it's thick in one spot, then totally clear, then thick again. You'd say "the fog was patchy." Or think about grass in a yard that's green in some areas but brown and bare in others — "the grass looks patchy."

People also use it for quality or performance. Like if your friend sometimes does great work and sometimes does really bad work, you could say "his work has been pretty patchy lately." Or "my Wi-Fi signal is patchy" — meaning it keeps cutting in and out.

So basically, patchy = uneven, irregular, or not reliable throughout.

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