spottier; spottiest
2
: lacking uniformity especially in quality
the performance was spotty
also
: irregularly or sparsely distributed
spotty attendance
spotty data
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
Clouds will increase by this time and a spotty rain shower cannot be ruled out.
—
Cutter Martin, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Their apartment building was in foreclosure; heat and hot water had become spotty, and someone was hanging up posters in the hallways threatening to bring in ICE.
—Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 2 Jan. 2026
State and federal authorities do have the power to prohibit false or misleading medical advertising of all types, though enforcement is spotty, particularly when promotions pop up online.
—Jason Kane, NBC news, 31 Dec. 2025
Mattel eventually purchased the rights to Lilli, and Hitt claims that records of her existence and development got spotty after that.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cutter Martin, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Their apartment building was in foreclosure; heat and hot water had become spotty, and someone was hanging up posters in the hallways threatening to bring in ICE.
—Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 2 Jan. 2026
State and federal authorities do have the power to prohibit false or misleading medical advertising of all types, though enforcement is spotty, particularly when promotions pop up online.
—Jason Kane, NBC news, 31 Dec. 2025
Mattel eventually purchased the rights to Lilli, and Hitt claims that records of her existence and development got spotty after that.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spotty. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share