A patchwork quilt, cushion, or piece of clothing is made by sewing together small pieces of material of differentcolours or patterns.
...beds covered in patchwork quilts.
Patchwork is also a noun.
For centuries, quilting and patchwork have been popular needlecrafts.
2. singular noun
If you refer to something as a patchwork, you mean that it is made up of many different parts, pieces or colours.
The low mountains were a patchwork of green and brown. [+ of]
...this complex republic, a patchwork of cultures, religions and nationalities. [+ of]
Synonyms: mixture, confusion, jumble, medley More Synonyms of patchwork
patchwork in British English
(ˈpætʃˌwɜːk)
noun
1.
needlework done by sewing pieces of different materials together
2.
something, such as a theory, made up of various parts
a patchwork of cribbed ideas
patchwork in American English
(ˈpætʃˌwɜrk)
noun
1.
anything formed of irregular, incongruous, odd, or miscellaneous parts; jumble
2.
a quilt or other covering made of patches of cloth, etc. sewn together at their edges
3.
any design or surface like this
Examples of 'patchwork' in a sentence
patchwork
Many trees are now becoming a patchwork of colour.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This complex patchwork protection throws up challenges.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The text forms a patchwork quilt of anecdotes that weave together domesticity and philosophy.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
But the performance is as safe and comforting as a patchwork quilt.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The dusty road led us into a patchwork of fields divided by irrigation channels and dotted with stone compounds.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
When she arrives, she is horrified by my patchwork of sample colours.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Below us the patchwork of fields stretched to the bleaker Pennines.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Crisp geometric patterns on a patchwork quilt will prove eye-catching in any setting.
Churchill, Jane (ed.) Collins Complete Books of Soft Furnishings (1993)
A patchwork of fields stretched away far below.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The countryside was a gentle patchwork of fields and hedgerows, still green from the rains three months before.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Needless to say, the cumulative effect of this patchwork approach to narrative is both disconcerting and slightly depressing.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
There is also a big emphasis on textiles: beds are layered with luxury throws including a patchwork quilt.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
One is an idyllic scene: a village church surrounded by a patchwork of farm fields and narrow country roads.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The middle of the stadium will be transformed into a patchwork of fields made of real soil, real grass and real hedges.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The garden reminds me of the patchwork quilt I inherited.
Eddison, Sydney A Patchwork Garden: Unexpected Pleasures from a Country Garden (1990)
This has formed an ethnic patchwork quilt that is more diverse than America and also makes it harder to unpick so as to identify winners and losers.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This patchwork of fields, hedgerows and pockets of woodland in Dorset is often partly concealed beneath a terrific dawn mist.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Pick a clear autumnal day and watch the sunlight dancing over the River Arun as it snakes through the patchwork fields now burnished rich browns and greens.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The tattoos became a kind of patchwork quilt, and in a way they join together to tell their own stories of my funny, weird little life.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Word lists with
patchwork
craft
In other languages
patchwork
British English: patchwork ADJECTIVE
A patchwork quilt, cushion, or piece of clothing is made by sewing together small pieces of material of different colours or patterns.
...beds covered in patchwork quilts.
American English: patchwork
Brazilian Portuguese: de retalhos
Chinese: 拼缝的
European Spanish: de patchwork
French: en patchwork
German: Patchwork-
Italian: patchwork
Japanese: パッチワークの
Korean: 패치워크 식의
European Portuguese: de retalhos
Latin American Spanish: de patchwork
(noun)
Definition
something made up of various parts
The republic is a patchwork of cultures, religions and nationalities.
Synonyms
mixture
a mixture of spiced, grilled vegetables
confusion
jumble
a meaningless jumble of words
medley
a medley of traditional songs
hash
pastiche
The world menu may be a pastiche of dishes from many countries.
mishmash
a bizarre mishmash of colours and patterns
hotchpotch
Additional synonyms
in the sense of jumble
Definition
articles donated for a jumble sale
a meaningless jumble of words
Synonyms
muddle,
mixture,
mess,
disorder,
confusion,
chaos,
litter,
clutter,
disarray,
medley,
mélange,
miscellany,
mishmash,
farrago,
hotchpotch,
hodgepodge,
gallimaufry,
pig's breakfast (informal),
disarrangement
in the sense of medley
Definition
a mixture of various elements
a medley of traditional songs
Synonyms
mixture,
confusion,
jumble,
assortment,
patchwork,
pastiche,
mixed bag (informal),
potpourri,
mélange,
miscellany,
mishmash,
farrago,
hotchpotch,
hodgepodge,
salmagundi,
olio,
gallimaufry,
omnium-gatherum
in the sense of mishmash
Definition
a confused collection or mixture
a bizarre mishmash of colours and patterns
Synonyms
jumble,
medley,
hash,
potpourri,
farrago,
hotchpotch,
salmagundi,
gallimaufry
Nearby words of
patchwork
patch
patch someone up
patch things up
patchwork
patchy
patent
paternal
Synonyms of 'patchwork'
patchwork
Explore 'patchwork' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of pastiche
Definition
a work of art that mixes styles or copies the style of another artist
The world menu may be a pastiche of dishes from many countries.