jerry-built 1 of 2

adjective

ˈjer-ē-ˌbilt How to pronounce jerry-built (audio)
Definition of jerry-builtnext
as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed my jerry-built wine racks may not look pretty, but they get the job done

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

jerry-built

2 of 2

verb

past tense of jerry-build
as in rebuilt

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerry-built
  1. clumsy
  2. rebuilt
  3. rough
  4. reconstructed
  5. rude
  6. retrofitted
  7. flawed
  8. devised
Adjective
  • Vocals are surprisingly good, despite the show being a bit awkward and clumsy at times.
    — Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Sneak away into the beyond—maybe this was a clumsy translation.
    — Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Verb
  • His main brush with emergency response appears to have been the department’s response to Hurricane Ian, where employees rebuilt a bridge to Pine Island in just three days and repaired massive cracks in the Sanibel Causeway in just 15 days.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Santa Fe will be demolished and rebuilt beginning at the end of 2027, with the project expected to finish around summer 2030.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebuilt
Adjective
  • Other downsides to sulfates include leaving hair feeling dry, brittle, and rough, which Trisler says can be even more damaging if your hair is already compromised.
    — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Hsu’s argument for why the near-monochrome restaurant doesn’t go flat is that the palette itself runs on tension, with the statement-making veined marble behind the point-of-sale area set against rough plaster walls.
    — Alexis Benveniste, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of rough
Verb
  • Around this infrastructure, Pizzini and her team reconstructed the original Muppet Theatre, from the iconic arches to the filigree to the safety curtain with the door Kermit pops out of in the opening sequence.
    — Mya Copeland, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Researchers reconstructed the exact three-dimensional architecture of the graphite particles, binder, and electrolyte pores.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of reconstructed
Adjective
  • Totally ignoring the humanity of both worker and customer is rude, and yet both parties are interested in getting on with whatever the transaction is.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • When Hank and Peggy meet a new family who has moved into the neighborhood, the Laotian Souphanousinphones, Hank immediately dislikes the father, Kahn, who is abrasive, competitive, and often rude.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of rude
Verb
  • The airline will also retrofit aircraft so passengers in all cabins will be able to use the screens and other additions like Bluetooth audio pairing and USB-C charging.
    — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The Airbus A319s and A320 fleets are currently being retrofitted and the A321 neo fleet will then be retrofitted.
    — Ted Reed, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of retrofitted
Adjective
  • But many professional-class socialists are no doubt making an earnest moral judgment, born of firsthand experience, that contemporary capitalism is deeply flawed.
    — Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Such biometric age checks have proved controversial, unpopular with users, and alarming to privacy advocates, who see even the latest age verification tools as flawed.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of flawed
Verb
  • So in classic spy fashion, the group devised secret codes to communicate with one another, hidden in plain sight, so the KGB would be none the wiser — using series of notes embedded in their sheet music.
    — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Organized crime operations from several cities, including Chicago, New York and Detroit, had established control of casinos up and down the Vegas Strip and devised schemes to skim percentages of the cash under the noses of state regulators.
    — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of devised
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

jerry-builds
jerry-built
jerry-rigged
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Cite this Entry

“Jerry-built.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerry-built. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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