spotty

adjective

spot·​ty ˈspä-tē 

spottier; spottiest

1

: marked with spots : spotted

2

: lacking uniformity especially in quality

the performance was spotty

also : irregularly or sparsely distributed

spotty attendance

spotty data

spottily

ˈspä-tə-lē 

adverb

spottiness

ˈspä-tē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of spotty

• sporadic
• intermittent
• occasional
• erratic

Examples of spotty in a Sentence

Her work has been spotty.

The service at that restaurant is a little spotty.

students with spotty attendance records

Recent Examples on the Web

Any leftover spotty shower threat is fading quickly, and the afternoon and evening look dry. — Kate Bilo, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

Gill’s team was doing field work in western Alaska and had only spotty internet service; the team would gather around a laptop, waiting for the updates on E7’s location to come through. — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

The leaves often have spotty color in fall, resulting in an interesting array of green, yellow, red, and burgundy—sometimes all on one leaf. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2026

McDavid was well under 50 percent in 2018-19, owing to spotty goaltending plus Milan Lucic (4-8 goals together in 98 minutes) and Jesse Puljujärvi (3-5 goals in 67 minutes). — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for spotty

• dotty
• doughty
• draughty
• haughty
• knotty
• naughty
• potty
• scottie
• strati
• zloty
• basmati
• bharati

Kids Definition

spotty

adjective

spot·​ty ˈspät-ē 

spottier; spottiest

1

: having spots

2

: not always the same especially in quality

your work has been spotty

spottily

ˈspät-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

spottiness

ˈspät-ē-nəs 

noun