spottier; spottiest
2
: lacking uniformity especially in quality
the performance was spotty
also
: irregularly or sparsely distributed
spotty attendance
spotty data
plural -es
: the quality or state of being spotty
economical, clean heat without spottiness or drafts—
Better Homes & Gardens
Better Homes & Gardensthe spottiness of American labor history is due largely to … the business cycles—Roger Burlingame
Roger BurlingameExamples 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
Lissette Gonzalez, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Due to extremely spotty cell service, an emergency SOS beacon, like those made by Garmin, is also key.
—Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 7 June 2026
Google began supporting Apple AirDrop on select devices earlier this year, but support has been spotty.
—ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026
Joseph himself has acknowledged that opposing offenses have attacked his scheme with tight ends across the past two seasons, and Singleton and Strnad have both had spotty records covering TEs in space.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spotty
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Adjective
The hot and humid pattern is expected to continue through the end of the workweek, with spotty showers possible Thursday and Friday and highs remaining near 90 degrees.
—Lissette Gonzalez, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Due to extremely spotty cell service, an emergency SOS beacon, like those made by Garmin, is also key.
—Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 7 June 2026
Google began supporting Apple AirDrop on select devices earlier this year, but support has been spotty.
—ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026
Joseph himself has acknowledged that opposing offenses have attacked his scheme with tight ends across the past two seasons, and Singleton and Strnad have both had spotty records covering TEs in space.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spotty. Accessed 12 Jun. 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
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