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
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025
Though the process was led by the city government, a series of competitions yielded a motley and colorful collection of five- to eight-story buildings that house 13,000 residents surrounding a central park.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 16 Dec. 2025
Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for motley
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Adjective
This year's cast also features a handful of other reality luminaries — Dancing With the Stars' Mark Ballas and Top Chef's Kristen Kish — and a motley assortment of actors (Stephen Colletti, Michael Rapaport), Olympic figure skaters (Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski), and drag queens (Monét X Change).
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025
Though the process was led by the city government, a series of competitions yielded a motley and colorful collection of five- to eight-story buildings that house 13,000 residents surrounding a central park.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 16 Dec. 2025
Noun
No army in history seemed ever to have been more ragged and motley and mongrel and polyglot than the Continental, rich and poor, learned and illiterate, from boys to old men, skilled and unskilled, born all over the world, speaking dozens of languages, believing in different gods and in no god.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for motley
Cite this Entry
“Motley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motley. Accessed 23 Dec. 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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