choppy
Americanadjective
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(of the sea, a lake, etc.) forming short, irregular, broken waves.
-
(of the wind) shifting or changing suddenly or irregularly; variable.
-
uneven in style or quality or characterized by poorly related parts.
The book was a choppy first novel.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- choppily adverb
- choppiness noun
Etymology
Origin of choppy
Explanation
When water is choppy, it's wind-blown and rippling with waves. It's tricky for a beginner to sail in a choppy lake. Choppy usually describes what happens to the surface of a body of water during a storm. Strong wind blowing across a bay, for example, turns the water choppy and rough. Something with a jerky, abrupt way of moving or flowing is also choppy, whether it's a piece of music or a filmed scene in a movie. In the 1600s, a stormy sea was described as chopping, which had changed to choppy by about 1830.
Vocabulary lists containing choppy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The movie is well-written but haphazardly made, with some choppy editing and a soundtrack of Cheech & Chong original songs that frequently drown out the dialogue to the point of irritation.
From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026
After an opening salvo of rap-centric tracks, Swim was moody and sultry, with flowing choreography that underscored its message of persevering in choppy waters.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
Celebi built what the firm calls a “risk-mitigation engine,” which uses derivatives, bonds, exchange-traded funds and other instruments to absorb shocks, allowing Arini to make aggressive trades even when markets turn choppy, Lemssouguer said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
The pace of hiring is much slower compared to a few years ago, however, and it’s also quite choppy.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
One moment he could be placid, the next he turned into choppy waves that broke hard and stung.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
