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

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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
  • Some Latinas are nerds, and some Latinas are quirky, and some of them are goofy and some of them are clumsy.
    — Johanna Ferreira, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • One of the clumsiest parts of Klosterman’s book is his attempts at political punditry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Verb
  • The effects crew also rebuilt Rocky’s transparent xenonite barriers digitally to remove reflections, hide operators and maintain the complicated play of light through the set.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The Paris installation is only a small part of the project, however, since the glass factory is being rebuilt in spaces including Red Clay Studio in Tamale and a British-era colonial building.
    — Gameli Hamelo, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebuilt
Adjective
  • The Dallas Cowboys are bringing former NFL coach Mike Pettine out of retirement to serve as a senior assistant to defensive coordinator Christian Parker, whose debut in his new position is off to a rough start.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Tampa Bay Rays are staring down a rough start to the American League Championship Series.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of rough
Verb
  • The visitor area of Federal Prison Camp Bryan, where Fielder and Holmes would meet, had to be reconstructed essentially from memory.
    — Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026
  • From these fragments of intelligence, scientists reconstructed journeys that took place largely beyond their view.
    — Amy L. Scarpignato, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of reconstructed
Adjective
  • Were my siblings rude to ignore my plan and take them for themselves?
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
  • An alligator with a sense of humor knocked on a North Carolina woman’s front door in the middle of the night, and the rascal got a rather rude response.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of rude
Verb
  • The press coverage essentially retrofitted 1692 with the anxieties of 1976, recasting the Salem girls as teenagers on a bad trip.
    — Jennifer Byrne, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The sleek, low-profile hubs, retrofitted to the top of the pole, can host several attachments, including sensors that alert if the streetlamp falls or, in some cases, the Flock Safety Falcon cameras that have stirred controversy over surveillance.
    — Sophia Lebowitz, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of retrofitted
Adjective
  • The extra baggage negates the weightlessness, revealing a more flawed and earthbound iteration of the band.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But rather than hail this trend as proof of AI’s skyrocketing potential, many in the field — skeptics and boosters alike — take it as evidence that benchmarking itself has become fatally flawed.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of flawed
Verb
  • Kamran Pasha has devised a truly unique take that honors the source material while expanding it in an enthralling, unexpected way.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Designed for twice-daily use, the cream is meant to be applied with a massage ritual the brand devised just for the cream—a final touch on its feel-good MO.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 14 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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