spotty

1 of 2

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

spottiness

2 of 2

noun

spot·​ti·​ness -ät|ēnə̇s 

-ät|, 

|in-

plural -es

: the quality or state of being spotty

economical, clean heat without spottiness or drafts

—Better Homes & Gardens

the spottiness of American labor history is due largely to … the business cycles

—Roger Burlingame

Synonyms of spotty

Adjective

• sporadic
• intermittent
• occasional
• erratic

Examples of spotty in a Sentence

Adjective

Her work has been spotty.

The service at that restaurant is a little spotty.

students with spotty attendance records

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But that effort is complicated by the fact that the biggest buyers, AI hyperscalers, pay under secret contracts, leaving most of the public data on how much people are paying for compute coming from the spotty offerings from neoclouds. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2026

An additional spotty shower is possible Thursday afternoon and evening, but the coverage should be rather sparse with many neighborhoods staying dry. — Rachael Jay, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026

But a growing number of consumers have urged the FCC to block the proposal over worries they’ll be saddled with a spotty cellular replacement service. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026

Any spotty rain across Central Texas is expected to move out by midday, setting the stage for a dry afternoon and evening. — Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 31 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

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