SKIP TO CONTENT

checkered

/ˈtʃɛkərd/
/ˈtʃɛkəd/
IPA guide

The author who sells a million copies of her first book, four of the second, wins a prize for the third and dies at the ceremony has had a checkered career: it's got bright spots and dark ones, like a checkerboard.

Checkered is a funny word; it can be used to describe the red and white pattern on a classic tablecloth or the up's and down's of someone's past. You could describe the flag that's waved at a Nascar event as checkered. And if the winning Nascar driver used to work at a car wash, you could say he has had a checkered career.

Definitions of checkered
  1. adjective
    patterned with alternating squares of color
    synonyms: checked, chequered
    patterned
    having patterns (especially colorful patterns)
  2. adjective
    marked by changeable fortune
    “a checkered business career”
    synonyms:
    changeable, changeful
    such that alteration is possible; having a marked tendency to change
Pronunciation
US
/ˈtʃɛkərd/
UK
/ˈtʃɛkəd/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘checkered'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family