1
: variegated in color
a motley coat
2
: made up of many different people or things
a motley crowd
a motley collection of junk
Examples of motley in a Sentence
Adjective
a motley collection of junk
a motley crew of musicians
Noun
the motleys with their colorful outfits
a motley of old junk stored in the attic
Recent Examples on the Web
Brad Japhe, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
Rounding out this wonderfully motley, largely boomer-ish crew is their de-facto social media manager, 25-year-old newcomer Chase Infiniti, who plays DiCaprio’s daughter Willa in One Battle After Another.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2025
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Kaan kaan wu, with its motley of melds, is where these two tiles from different suits can be used in a clean-sweeping hand.
—Rudy Lee, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for motley
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Adjective
Two seasons ago, a motley assembly of A-listers including Lewis Hamilton, Zoey Deutch, Nina Dobrev and Jared Leto, arrived to the Antarctic peninsula on a 414-foot mega-yacht, sporting sequin dresses and tuxedos, sipping tulips of champagne.
—Brad Japhe, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
Rounding out this wonderfully motley, largely boomer-ish crew is their de-facto social media manager, 25-year-old newcomer Chase Infiniti, who plays DiCaprio’s daughter Willa in One Battle After Another.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
Her goal is to start a women’s consciousness-raising group, and her efforts have brought together a motley, inquisitive quintet.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Kaan kaan wu, with its motley of melds, is where these two tiles from different suits can be used in a clean-sweeping hand.
—Rudy Lee, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for motley
Cite this Entry
“Motley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motley. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
motley
1 of 2 adjective
mot·ley
ˈmät-lē 
1
: having various colors
2
: composed of various often unlike kinds or parts
a motley collection of junk
motley
2 of 2 noun1
a
: a garment of mixed colors worn by a court jester
2
: a mixture of different elements
Biographical Definition
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