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Meaning & use

glitchy

adjective·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˈɡlɪtʃi/
US/ˈɡlɪtʃi/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparableinformal

    Not working smoothly because of small, often random faults, especially in software or electronic devices.

    Grammar: Can follow a linking verb or come before a noun: the game is glitchy.

    Patterns

    • a glitchy app
    • be glitchy

    The video call was so glitchy that we kept losing each other's voices.

    My old phone has become glitchy and freezes every few minutes.

    The new update made the app glitchy for a few days.

  2. adjectivecomparableinformalfigurative

    Showing small, unexpected flaws or hiccups, as in a process or performance that does not run smoothly.

    Grammar: A looser, figurative use beyond technology.

    Patterns

    • a glitchy start

    The launch of the new ticket system was glitchy, and long queues formed.

    The band's first song was a bit glitchy, but they settled down quickly.

Word forms

comparativeglitchier
superlativeglitchiest

Common combinations

glitchy software
Glitchy software caused the website to crash.
a bit glitchy
The screen is a bit glitchy today.
glitchy connection
The glitchy connection made the meeting hard to follow.
glitchy graphics
The game's glitchy graphics made the characters flicker.
get glitchy
The system tends to get glitchy when it is overloaded.

Synonyms and how they differ

buggy
This suggests errors in the software code itself, whereas glitchy covers any small, temporary fault.
faulty
This is more general and sounds more serious, as it describes a real defect and not an occasional hiccup.
unreliable
This is a general judgement that something cannot be trusted, while glitchy describes specific small faults.
temperamental
This suggests a machine that sometimes works and sometimes does not, often in a half-humorous way.

Opposites

smoothreliable

Word family

glitch noun
a small, usually temporary fault
glitchiness noun
the quality of having frequent small faults
glitch verb
to malfunction briefly

Commonly confused: glitchy or buggy?

glitchy vs buggy

A buggy has software bugs, but glitchy usually means flickering or freezing that may come and go.

Practice

The video kept freezing and jumping, so I complained that the streaming app was too ____.

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