sketchily

IPA/ˈsketʃəli/
IPA/ˈsketʃəli/

sketchily — adverb

1. without giving enough information or description; in a rough way that leaves out

1.adverbC1
Definition

without giving enough information or description; in a rough way that leaves out important parts.

Example

Rin described the route only sketchily, leaving out most of the key landmarks.

adverb position before verb; collocation: only sketchily

The report covered the accident sketchily, with no mention of the weather or road conditions.

adverb after verb: covered [something] sketchily

Common collocations
  • only sketchily
  • somewhat sketchily
  • rather sketchily
  • covered sketchily
  • described sketchily
  • planned sketchily
Synonyms
  • roughly

    more common in everyday speech; 'roughly' can also mean 'approximately', which 'sketchily' does not.

  • vaguely

    emphasises lack of clarity rather than lack of completeness.

  • incompletely

    more literal and formal; focuses on missing parts.

Antonyms

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Roughly, vaguely, and incompletely all overlap with sketchily but differ in emphasis. Roughly is the most versatile — it can mean 'approximately' (roughly ten minutes) alongside 'without detail' (roughly described), whereas sketchily only carries the latter meaning. Vaguely stresses unclear or imprecise expression rather than missing components: someone who speaks vaguely may be evasive or uncertain, while someone who speaks sketchily is simply leaving things out. Incompletely is the closest synonym in meaning but feels more formal and literal; it is common in academic or technical writing ('the data were reported incompletely'). For everyday situations, sketchily is less common than any of these alternatives and carries a slightly critical tone — it implies that the speaker or writer should have included more detail.

roughly ↗vaguely ↗incompletely ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

DutchItalianEnglish

Formed from 'sketchy' (adjective) + the adverbial suffix '-ily'. The root 'sketch' comes from Dutch 'schets', which was borrowed from Italian 'schizzo', literally meaning 'a splash' or 'a quick drawing'. The sense of 'rough, incomplete' developed in the 19th century.