checkered

[chek-erd]

adjective

1. marked by numerous and various shifts or changes; variegated.

   a checkered career.

   Synonyms: seesaw, irregular, uneven, varied

2. marked by dubious episodes; suspect in character or quality.

   a checkered past.

3. marked with squares.

   a checkered fabric.

4. diversified in color; alternately light and shadowed.

   the checkered shade beneath trees.

Other Word Forms

• uncheckered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of checkered¹

1350–1400; Middle English. See checker ¹, -ed ²

Example Sentences

Brown made sure to conceal his checkered past from potential business partners.

From Los Angeles Times

The first lady also has a checkered history when it comes to her prose.

From Salon

The first film I saw in a theater was “The Love Bug,” Disney’s 1969 comedy about a sentient Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie and the motley team who race him to many a checkered flag.

From Los Angeles Times

This year, “Purpose,” his domestic drama about an illustrious civil rights icon’s dysfunctional family and checkered legacy, received six nominations, including best play.

From Los Angeles Times

The California Department of Transportation’s half-century epic over the failed 710 Freeway expansion — and the homes the agency acquired to build it — is coming to a checkered climax.

From Los Angeles Times