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
Some spotty storms will still be possible for South Florida going into next week, but these will not be as widespread or heavy -- making for a slightly drier pattern.
—
Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2025
The clip, shared by foster couple Katie and Tate on their account @katieandtatesfostermates, shows Dustee, a black dog with a white, spotty tummy—soaking up gentle head strokes before finally nodding off.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
The watch's dual cellular bands can even work together to combine signal strength and maintain a usable connection, even in areas with spotty service.
—Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
In this film adaptation of Freida McFadden’s best-selling psychological thriller, Sweeney plays a down-on-her-luck woman with a spotty past who lands a job as a live-in housemaid for a married couple (Seyfried and Sklenar), who have some secrets of their own.
—Tolly Wright, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
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Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2025
The clip, shared by foster couple Katie and Tate on their account @katieandtatesfostermates, shows Dustee, a black dog with a white, spotty tummy—soaking up gentle head strokes before finally nodding off.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
The watch's dual cellular bands can even work together to combine signal strength and maintain a usable connection, even in areas with spotty service.
—Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
In this film adaptation of Freida McFadden’s best-selling psychological thriller, Sweeney plays a down-on-her-luck woman with a spotty past who lands a job as a live-in housemaid for a married couple (Seyfried and Sklenar), who have some secrets of their own.
—Tolly Wright, Vulture, 8 Sep. 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 17 Sep. 2025.
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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