Patchy example sentences

"Patchy" Example Sentences

The WiFi in this apartment is patchy at best — some rooms have signal, others don't.
His memory of that night was patchy, full of gaps he couldn't fill no matter how hard he tried.
We got patchy coverage during the storm, so half the town lost power while the other half stayed fine.
She'd been studying for weeks but her knowledge of the subject remained patchy and unreliable.
The lawn looked patchy after the drought — brown spots everywhere, green nowhere.
His attendance record was patchy, which made it impossible for him to pass the class.
The fog rolled in patchy, thick in some places and thin in others, making driving dangerous.
I've only got patchy internet out here, so don't expect me to respond right away.
The old paint job was patchy and peeling, so we decided to repaint the whole house.
Her English is pretty good, though her pronunciation can be patchy depending on the word.
The service at that restaurant has been patchy lately — sometimes great, sometimes terrible.
His explanation was patchy and confusing, leaving more questions than answers.
The cell phone reception in the building is notoriously patchy, especially in the basement.
After the fire, the forest regrowth was patchy, with some areas thriving and others still bare.
The documentary had patchy research — some facts were solid, others were clearly wrong.
My sleep last night was patchy; I kept waking up every hour.
The new employee's training was patchy, so she struggled with basic tasks.
The crowd was patchy during the opening act, but packed by the time the headliner came on.
His knowledge of history is patchy at best — he knows random facts but no real context.
The funding for the project has been patchy, making it hard to plan long-term.
The grass in the yard grew in patchy, uneven patches no matter what we tried.
Her commitment to the project seemed patchy — enthusiastic one week, absent the next.
The internet connection was so patchy I had to restart the video call three times.
The old carpet had patchy stains that wouldn't come out no matter how much we scrubbed.
His understanding of the rules was patchy, which cost him the game.
The snow fell patchy across the region, leaving some areas buried and others barely dusted.
The documentary's coverage of the event was patchy and left out crucial details.
The medication worked, but the relief was patchy — some days better than others.
The crowd support for the team has been patchy this season, especially after the losses.
The information he gave us was patchy and contradictory, so we couldn't trust it.

Common Phrases

patchy coverage
patchy memory
patchy knowledge
patchy attendance
patchy service
patchy fog
patchy grass
patchy internet
patchy at best
patchy and uneven
patchy record
patchy growth

Examples by Level

The grass is patchy and brown.
My internet is patchy today.

The fog came in patchy, so we couldn't see the road clearly.
His English is patchy, but he's trying hard to improve.

The WiFi signal is patchy throughout the building, which makes working from home frustrating.
Looking back, my memory of what happened that night is patchy and unreliable.

The government's response to the crisis was patchy and inconsistent across different regions.
Her knowledge of the subject, while impressive in some areas, remained frustratingly patchy.

The documentary's treatment of the historical period was patchy, oscillating between meticulous detail and glaring omissions.
What struck him most was how patchy his recollection had become — entire years compressed into fragments.

The patchy nature of the evidence meant the prosecution's case rested on inference rather than fact, a distinction the jury seemed reluctant to acknowledge.
She'd come to understand that memory itself was inherently patchy, a collage of vivid moments and convenient forgetting.

Examples by Scenario

🏠 Everyday Life

The lawn's looking pretty patchy after the heat wave — I should probably water it more.
My sleep was patchy last night, so I'm running on fumes today.

💼 Workplace

The patchy attendance from the team has made it impossible to keep the project on schedule.
Our internet connection is patchy again, and I just lost half my email.

📊 Business

The company's expansion into new markets has been patchy, with some regions thriving while others stalled.
The patchy performance across different product lines suggests we need to rethink our strategy.

🛒 Buying / Shopping

The paint coverage was patchy, so I had to buy another can to do a second coat.
The selection of sizes is patchy — they have XS and XXL but nothing in between.

✈️ Travel

The patchy cell service made navigation a nightmare once we got into the rural areas.
The hotel's WiFi was patchy, which was annoying when I needed to check my flight details.

📚 Education

The student's understanding of the material is patchy, so I'm recommending tutoring.
The textbook's coverage of the topic is patchy, leaving gaps in the curriculum.

❤️ Relationships

We've had a patchy relationship for years — good stretches followed by long silences.
His memory of our early years together is patchy, which sometimes hurts when I remember everything.

📰 News / Politics

The media coverage of the election has been patchy, with some outlets ignoring key issues entirely.
The government's patchy response to the disaster drew criticism from all sides.

💻 Technology

The app's performance is patchy on older devices, which limits our user base.
The patchy rollout of the update meant some users had access while others were still waiting.

📝 Formal Writing

The patchy documentation of the historical event has made scholarly consensus difficult to achieve.
The research findings were based on patchy data collection, which limits the validity of the conclusions.