Standard Lemma guide

checkered

adj · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: CH EH1 K ER0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • That is a checkered tablecloth.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

simple past and past participle of checker

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, participle, past

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

marked by changeable fortune

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a checkered business career

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

patterned with alternating squares of color

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: checked, chequered

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English check Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English checker English -ed English checkered From checker + -ed.

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُرَبَّعَاتٍ (murabbaʕātin) — divided into squares
  • Asturian: axedrezáu — divided into squares
  • Bulgarian: кари́ран (karíran) — divided into squares
  • Burmese: ကျား (kya:) — divided into squares
  • Catalan: escacat — divided into squares
  • Catalan: endauat — divided into squares
  • Chinese Mandarin: 棋盤式的 /棋盘式的 (qípánshì de) — divided into squares
  • Chinese Mandarin: 方格相間的 /方格相间的 (fānggé xiāngjiàn de) — divided into squares
  • Chinese Mandarin: 黑白相間的 /黑白相间的 (hēibái xiāngjiàn de) — divided into squares
  • Czech: kostkovaný — divided into squares
  • Czech: kárový — divided into squares
  • Danish: ternet — divided into squares
  • Dutch: dambordachtig — divided into squares
  • Dutch: schaakbordachtig — divided into squares
  • Dutch: geblokt — divided into squares
  • Finnish: ruudullinen — divided into squares
  • French: à carreaux — divided into squares
  • French: échiqueté — divided into squares
  • French: carreauté — divided into squares
  • French: en damier — divided into squares
  • Galician: axadrezado — divided into squares
  • German: kariert — divided into squares
  • German: schachbrettartig — divided into squares
  • Hungarian: kockás — divided into squares
  • Hungarian: pepita — divided into squares
  • Irish: seicear — divided into squares
  • Italian: scaccato — divided into squares
  • Italian: a quadri — divided into squares
  • Italian: quadrettato — divided into squares
  • Italian: a scacchi — divided into squares
  • Italian: a quadretti — divided into squares
  • Japanese: 格子模様の (kōshi moyō no) — divided into squares
  • Malay: gandan — divided into squares
  • Norwegian: rutete — divided into squares
  • Persian: چارخانه (čârxâne) — divided into squares
  • Polish: kraciasty — divided into squares
  • Polish: w kratkę — divided into squares
  • Portuguese: quadriculado — divided into squares
  • Portuguese: axadrezado — divided into squares
  • Portuguese: xadrez — divided into squares
  • Romanian: caroiat — divided into squares
  • Russian: кле́тчатый (klétčatyj) — divided into squares
  • Russian: в кле́тку (v klétku) — divided into squares
  • Serbo-Croatian: коцкаст — divided into squares
  • Serbo-Croatian: kockast — divided into squares
  • Spanish: a cuadros — divided into squares
  • Spanish: ajedrezado — divided into squares
  • Spanish: escaqueado — divided into squares
  • Swedish: rutig — divided into squares
  • Swedish: schackrutig — divided into squares
  • Turkish: damalı — divided into squares
  • Turkish: satrançlı — divided into squares
  • Ottoman Turkish: سطرنجلو (satranclı) — divided into squares
  • Welsh: sgwarog — divided into squares
  • Arabic: مُرِيب (murīb) — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Arabic: مَشْكُوك فِيهِ (maškūk fīhi) — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Bulgarian: пъстър (pǎstǎr) — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不穩定的 /不稳定的 (bù wěndìng de) — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Chinese Mandarin: 變化無常的 /变化无常的 (biànhuàwúcháng de) — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Chinese Mandarin: 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
  • Dutch: bont — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Finnish: kirjava — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Finnish: värikäs — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • German: wechselvoll — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Hungarian: tarka — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Hungarian: tarkabarka — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Hungarian: színes — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Hungarian: változatos — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Hungarian: (eventful) fordulatos — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Hungarian: eseménydús — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Hungarian: mozgalmas — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Hungarian: hányatott — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Hungarian: hányattatott — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Italian: variegato — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Italian: contrastato — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Italian: a luci e ombre — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Japanese: 数奇 (sūki) — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Russian: пёстрый (pjóstryj) — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Russian: изме́нчивый (izménčivyj) — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Russian: разнообра́зный (raznoobráznyj) — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures
  • Swedish: brokig — changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty; marked by many problems or failures