1
as in amateur
being such only for recreation
a toolshed that can be built by any jackleg carpenter who's capable of hitting a nail without smashing his thumb
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in inexperienced
lacking or showing a lack of expert skill
he did such a jackleg installation of that door frame that now the door won't shut
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
a jackleg lawyer whose clients consist mainly of drug dealers and child molesters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in kid
a person who lacks experience and competence in an art or science
you can't rely on a bunch of jacklegs to run your dairy farm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jackleg
Adjective
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From 2018 to 2023, the club selected 20 players in the top 120 picks of the respective amateur drafts; the highlights include pitchers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, and position players Josh Jung, Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Feb. 2026 -
Pro-am tournaments pair up professional and amateur golfers.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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All of Quigley’s challengers are politically inexperienced but impassioned Democrats running to the incumbent’s left.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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The most common complaints include denying legitimate claims, partnering with inexperienced and unqualified service providers, poor service, and slow response times.—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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There, the political and commercial elites don’t shy away from murder to defend potentially corrupt schemes.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
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Harrowing revelations about corrupt leaders, child rape and grooming come to the fore, and a stop-clock on the back wall counts down the minutes and seconds until the play’s most paralyzing realization.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The goal is to engage kids in learning about history and civic engagement while putting them on a path to potentially work in the music industry, said the department’s Chief Academic Officer Irene Parisi.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
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Early life as a theater kid Van Der Beek, who was raised in Cheshire, Connecticut, started acting at 13 after suffering a concussion playing football that prevented him from playing for a year on doctor’s orders.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The patriarch’s rage at feeling degraded in America turns the home into a war zone.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
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The company acknowledges that direct recycling will not replace chemical methods entirely, particularly for mixed or degraded end-of-life batteries.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The trails break down to 16 percent beginner, 55 percent intermediate, and 29 percent advanced runs.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 2026
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While my group of beginners played on one half of the ice, across the ice was a league game at play among club members with less than five years of experience in the sport.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And the American health care system isn't set up to help people get through it, Mauldin outlines in the book, by way of inaccessible health care, lack of caregiver supports, expensive treatments and an overall de-valuing of sick people and those with disabilities.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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In January 2025, a hospital in West Texas began reporting that children were coming in sick with measles.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Jackleg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jackleg. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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