checkered

C3H4E1C3K5E1R1E1D2

adjective

Divided into a grid of squares of alternating colours or shades, or into light and dark patches.

“That is a checkered tablecloth.”

Similar
checkedchequeredpatternedchangeablechangeful
OriginEnglish checker →
Less commonScrabble 21
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Meanings

adjectivecheckered (comparative more checkered, superlative most checkered)

comparative more checkered · superlative most checkered · alternative UK chequered

  1. Divided into a grid of squares of alternating colours or shades, or into light and dark patches.

    That is a checkered tablecloth.

  2. figurativelyChangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures.

    “What a checkered career!” said Newman.

    1876 October, Henry James, Jr., chapter XII, in The American, Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, […], published 5 May 1877, →OCLC, page 197
verb

alternative UK chequered

  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of checker

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivepatterned with alternating squares of color

Similar
checkedchequeredpatterned

adjectivemarked by changeable fortune

Similar
changeablechangeful
Also see
changeablechangefulchecked

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Englishcheck
  2. Englishchecker
  3. Englishcheckered

From checker + -ed.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مُرَبَّعَات, مُرِيب
  • مُرَبَّعَات (murabbaʕāt)divided into squares
  • مُرِيب (murīb)changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • مَشْكُوك فِيهِ (maškūk fīhi)changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
Bulgarian кари́ран, пъстър
  • кари́ран (karíran)divided into squares
  • пъстър (păstăr)changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
Catalan escacat, endauat
  • escacatdivided into squares
  • endauatdivided into squares
Chinese Mandarin 棋盤式的 /棋盘式的, 方格相間的 /方格相间的
  • 棋盤式的 /棋盘式的 (qípánshì de)divided into squares
  • 方格相間的 /方格相间的 (fānggé xiāngjiàn de)divided into squares
  • 黑白相間的 /黑白相间的 (hēibái xiāngjiàn de)divided into squares
  • 不穩定的 /不稳定的 (bù wěndìng de)changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • 變化無常的 /变化无常的 (biànhuàwúcháng de)changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • 問題叢生的 /问题丛生的 (wèntí cóngshēng de)changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
Czech kostkovaný, kárový
  • kostkovanýdivided into squares
  • károvýdivided into squares
Danish ternet
  • ternetdivided into squares
Dutch dambordachtig, schaakbordachtig
  • dambordachtigdivided into squares
  • schaakbordachtigdivided into squares
  • gebloktdivided into squares
  • bontchangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
Finnish ruudullinen, kirjava
  • ruudullinendivided into squares
  • kirjavachangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • värikäschangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
French à carreaux, échiqueté
  • à carreauxdivided into squares
  • échiquetédivided into squares
  • carreautédivided into squares
  • en damierdivided into squares
German kariert, schachbrettartig
  • kariertdivided into squares
  • schachbrettartigdivided into squares
  • wechselvollchangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
Hungarian kockás, pepita
  • kockásdivided into squares
  • pepitadivided into squares
  • tarkachangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • tarkabarkachangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • színeschangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • változatoschangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • (eventful) fordulatoschangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • eseménydúschangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • mozgalmaschangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • hányatottchangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • hányattatottchangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
Irish seicear
  • seiceardivided into squares
Italian scaccato, a quadri
  • scaccatodivided into squares
  • a quadridivided into squares
  • quadrettatodivided into squares
  • a scacchidivided into squares
  • a quadrettidivided into squares
  • variegatochangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • contrastatochangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • a luci e ombrechangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
Japanese 格子模様の, 数奇
  • 格子模様の (kōshi moyō no)divided into squares
  • 数奇 (sūki)changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
Malay gandan
  • gandandivided into squares
Norwegian rutete
  • rutetedivided into squares
Persian چارخانه
  • چارخانه (čârxâne)divided into squares
Polish kraciasty, w kratkę
  • kraciastydivided into squares
  • w kratkędivided into squares
Portuguese quadriculado, axadrezado
  • quadriculadodivided into squares
  • axadrezadodivided into squares
  • xadrezdivided into squares
Romanian caroiat
  • caroiatdivided into squares
Russian кле́тчатый, в кле́тку
  • кле́тчатый (klétčatyj)divided into squares
  • в кле́тку (v klétku)divided into squares
  • пёстрый (pjóstryj)changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • изме́нчивый (izménčivyj)changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • разнообра́зный (raznoobráznyj)changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
Spanish a cuadros, ajedrezado
  • a cuadrosdivided into squares
  • ajedrezadodivided into squares
  • escaqueadodivided into squares
Swedish rutig, schackrutig
  • rutigdivided into squares
  • schackrutigdivided into squares
  • brokigchangeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
Turkish damalı, satrançlı
  • damalıdivided into squares
  • satrançlıdivided into squares
Welsh sgwarog
  • sgwarogdivided into squares
Cite this entry
APA

checkered. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/checkered

MLA

“checkered.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/checkered. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “checkered,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/checkered.

Source: checkered on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.