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

The court’s uploading system was spotty that morning, the aide said. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Still seeing constraints on DRAM and NAND memory (good read-through to Club name Micron ) and spotty shortages on CPUs (good read-through for Club name Intel ). — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026

Tropical storm-force wind gusts capable of causing spotty power outages are also possible along the coast from the potential storm’s most intense bands of rain. — Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026

Print editions overseas also reach service members in remote locations where internet access is spotty and unreliable. — Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 27 Aug. 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