patchwork

noun

patch·​work ˈpach-ˌwərk 

often attributive

1

: something composed of miscellaneous or incongruous parts : hodgepodge

2

: pieces of cloth of various colors and shapes sewn together to form a covering

also : something resembling such a covering

a patchwork of fields

Illustration of patchwork

• patchwork 2

Synonyms of patchwork

• jumble
• medley
• variety
• assortment
• collage
• hodgepodge
• mishmash

Examples of patchwork in a Sentence

The valley is a patchwork of family farms.

A patchwork of laws prevent the land from being developed.

a patchwork system of laws

Recent Examples on the Web

Vintage bags—my favorites are my old Chloé Paddington, my 2005 fur Chanel, and my 2006 patchwork Chanel. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026

The nearly 289,000-acre forest is interspersed with private property, farms, communities and roads, creating a patchwork of public and private lands across southern Illinois. — Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

The model, trained on this patchwork, starts flagging thousands of legitimate customers as billing anomalies while missing real discrepancies buried in the messy records. — Olufunsho Peters, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Europe’s patchwork of national payment schemes—iDEAL in the Netherlands, Bizum in Spain, Blik in Poland—has resulted in different checkout experiences in each market. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing patchwork

• patchwork quilt

Rhymes for patchwork

• artwork
• beadwork
• berserk
• breastwork
• brickwork
• brushwork
• casework
• classwork
• clockwork
• coursework
• ductwork
• earthwork

Kids Definition

patchwork

noun

patch·​work ˈpach-ˌwərk 

1

: something made up of various parts

2

: pieces of cloth of various colors and shapes sewn together usually in a pattern

patchwork adjective