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

But spotty showers can't be ruled out. —Lissette Gonzalez, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026

Sending down Pérez would mean keeping Meadows’ defense on the field but also rolling the dice on his spotty offensive track record. —Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026

Even in Collier County, where dozens of cases have been detected at Ave Maria University since late January, information is spotty. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026

Wi-Fi can be spotty in certain areas of the airport, including on the Plane Train. —Kayla Kitts, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 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