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
-
A lot of the silly AI hardware products that have launched and failed tried to do too much.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
10 Dec. 2025
-
Earnest, sappy, Burtonesque, silly.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Fans wear their favorite players’ name, beg for their autograph and spend stupid amounts of money just to be in their proximity.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
Not every bee was successful, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s such a thing as a stupid bumblebee, Loukola says.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
If the target was foolish enough to reuse passwords, credential thefts like these could enable the compromise of more important accounts.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
3 June 2026
-
High energy, being foolish with the other guys.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Also keep in mind that blasting noise through your AirPods or speakers may drown out some very important other sounds — like approaching wildlife or mad rattlesnakes.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Democrats are mad at the president, again.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
After four thrillers, including two insane games in Vegas, the series shifted back to Raleigh for Game 5, with the two teams knotted at 2-2.—
Matt Reigle,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
-
Rivians aren’t alone in the realm of insane reports of repair costs.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Straight men, in particular, are only talked about, kept in the background, or appearing as authority figures trying to uphold absurd laws and traditions.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Pepsi’s chart is absurd and someone’s going to look stupid when the momentum fades.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Her doggedness, maybe her righteousness too, a fierce myopic focus and will, and a crazy confidence that in the end, both have nothing to lose.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
15 June 2026
-
Matt Justice went to crazy lengths to try to beat Josh Bishop in a street fight.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Red-Bodied Dog Tick Has your idiotic dog wandered onto a bucolic patch of grass that hasn’t been freshly treated with toxins?—
Jay Ruttenberg,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
-
What an absolutely idiotic statement to make.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dotty. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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