as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
dotty relatives that we have to endure only on Thanksgiving
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Recent Examples of dotty
Things got even dottier from there: Another eight names were added to a growing list of scientists who have recently either died or gone missing.
—
Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
People wanted to wear clothes at the cutting edge, which gave dotty fabrics woven by machine a natural fanbase among the society ladies who could afford them.
—Natalie Hammond, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
Jones, Redgrave, and an unrecognizable Margot Kidder as their dotty landlady bravely expose their vulnerability.
—Armond White, National Review, 25 June 2025
This set by Studio Bloom takes two breakout shades of the year — butter yellow and mocha mousse — and elevates them for the season ahead with a dotty design.
—Mica Ricketts, Refinery29, 9 May 2025
Now, one of the largest celebrations of Kusama’s dotty world will debut at Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).
—Mae Hamilton, Travel + Leisure, 9 Dec. 2024
Joanne and Morgan’s dotty mother, Lynn (Stephanie Faracy), dabbles in the metaphysical to constant mockery; their gay father, Henry (Michael Hitchcock), is rarely able to enjoy his own happiness.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2024
Smith starred as Joyce Chilvers, a small-town social climber in postwar Northern England whose hunger to be accepted by the elite locals isn’t helped by her dotty mother nor her underachieving podiatrist husband Gilbert, played by Michael Palin.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Sep. 2024
Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
People wanted to wear clothes at the cutting edge, which gave dotty fabrics woven by machine a natural fanbase among the society ladies who could afford them.
—Natalie Hammond, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
Jones, Redgrave, and an unrecognizable Margot Kidder as their dotty landlady bravely expose their vulnerability.
—Armond White, National Review, 25 June 2025
This set by Studio Bloom takes two breakout shades of the year — butter yellow and mocha mousse — and elevates them for the season ahead with a dotty design.
—Mica Ricketts, Refinery29, 9 May 2025
Now, one of the largest celebrations of Kusama’s dotty world will debut at Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).
—Mae Hamilton, Travel + Leisure, 9 Dec. 2024
Joanne and Morgan’s dotty mother, Lynn (Stephanie Faracy), dabbles in the metaphysical to constant mockery; their gay father, Henry (Michael Hitchcock), is rarely able to enjoy his own happiness.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2024
Smith starred as Joyce Chilvers, a small-town social climber in postwar Northern England whose hunger to be accepted by the elite locals isn’t helped by her dotty mother nor her underachieving podiatrist husband Gilbert, played by Michael Palin.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dotty
Adjective
-
Through the fuzz and the bad camera angles emerges an extraordinary catalogue of dummies, flicks, and feints, a hodge-podge of silly tricks.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
To lose that would be silly now.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
His family and his friends lost him for something so stupid.—
Kelsie Cairns,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
-
Utterly stupid, morally wrong, take your pick.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
Backing the Cubs right now seems foolish.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
-
By human standard, of course, animals can be unintentionally and surprisingly clumsy, delightfully awkward or laughingly foolish.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
However, there is a definite logic behind this seemingly mad design.—
David Szondy
May 23,
New Atlas,
23 May 2026
-
That the series houses its mad science experiments and cartoonish fight scenes in familiar packaging goes a long way toward keeping it accessible, but the charming eccentricities and their astute implementation add up to a Spider-story worth investing in — bring on the strange.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Melissa Jackson rejected the defense’s claims that Gilbert was legally insane.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
-
The feminine style looks like a ballet flat but is just as comfortable as a sneaker—hence its insane appeal.—
Kaitlin Clapinski,
InStyle,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
There is always the possibility that something absurd might occur — the equivalent of Neymar’s 2017 move to Paris Saint-Germain, for instance — but that’s extremely unlikely.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Ironically, the fears of two Republicans advancing were driven by Democratic data vendor Paul Mitchell, who built a prediction machine using absurd inputs like betting odds and polls that cannot account for things like rape allegations.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
But the crazy first-half goal fest was not over.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
25 May 2026
-
What is crazy is Kim finishing Top 5 was better odds than Scheffler winning the tournament outright.—
Jeff Hartman,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
But his whole plan was really damaged by his idiotic attack against the leadership of Hamas in Qatar, because that caused Trump to pressure him to end the war.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
-
Covering politics today is a grim dance between the vicious and the idiotic, between repulsion and despair.—
Megan McArdle,
Washington Post,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dotty. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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