adj
sketchy
SKEHT-shee
adj
1
Incomplete or lacking in detail; only roughly outlined.
"The details of the plan were still pretty sketchy."
2
Informal: suspicious, dishonest-seeming, or unsafe.
"He met the seller in a sketchy parking lot after dark."
"Something about her story felt sketchy."
How to Use Sketchy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither "not fully worked out" or, in casual speech, "shady and untrustworthy."
When to use it
The "shady/suspicious" sense is informal, common in everyday conversation.
Common pairings
sketchy details
sketchy neighborhood
sound sketchy
Word Forms
sketchier comparative, sketchiest superlative
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Etymology
From "sketch" plus "-y," originally meaning rough and unfinished like a sketch.