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
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
To play Sam’s dotty grandparents in Sixteen Candles, Hughes tapped a quartet of veteran character actors.
—John Russell, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024
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
To play Sam’s dotty grandparents in Sixteen Candles, Hughes tapped a quartet of veteran character actors.
—John Russell, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dotty
Adjective
-
Gore said half in surprise and half in jest after lasting just 1⅔ innings in a 15-9 win over Kansas City, which wasn’t even the silliest game in the West Valley on a gusty Thursday.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The fever dream of a sequel that’s also a prequel takes everything good about the first movie and turns it up to 100, happily ignoring any dose of realism in favor of silly, colorful, karaoke-ready fun.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
These people out here are stupid.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Besides, each unmasking is stupid and anticlimactic in its own way.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But asking a 30-year-old with balky legs to carry this burden is dangerous, if not foolish.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Shitposting, Topinka explains, makes good-faith engagement impossible and critics look foolish because the shitposter is plausibly joking.—
Malavika Kannan,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In the 18th century, natural red fabric dyes made from Indian madder root and South American brazilwood were key to producing the pink fabrics that both men and women wore during the reign of King Louis XV.—
Adam Mansuroglu,
Robb Report,
28 Feb. 2026
-
There was a mad scramble—people running in every direction, some tumbling over others.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
If he was convicted, a jury would then have to decide whether Abril was insane when the park shooting occurred.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Like, dude, the views from the top are insane.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Characters speak in absurd double entendres no human being could leave unacknowledged.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, Trump will have won by simply refusing to tell a story at all, outside of Hegseth’s absurd football-coach talk.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a crazy, almost anarchic narrative logic that keeps it zigging and zagging unpredictably from the high-speed chase around precarious mountain roads to the suspenseful near disaster of the climax, in which nature gets angry, and the triumphant eco solution that saves the day.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Mar. 2026
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Importantly, the movie’s sense of humor is always grounded in the situation happening and the distinct crazy personalities surrounding Mabel’s stubborn straight woman.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
We were just stunned by my idiotic behavior, but that idea that of the constancy was suddenly were wiped.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Anything else would be idiotic.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dotty. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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