1
as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence
only spotty business failures marred the economic boom
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dotted
marked with spots
Dalmatians are spotty dogs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spotty
While Flying Lotus has constructed a film filled with distinctive imagery, Ash, on the whole, feels just as spotty as Riya’s memory.
—
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2025
However, its security record has been a little spotty, and its free tier is limited.
—PCMAG, 4 Mar. 2025
The disease moves quickly, with patients experiencing high fever, body aches, weakness, headache, a sore throat and, in some, a red, spotty rash.
—Mark Kortepeter, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
The fate of the TCA press tour has been the focus of much conversation due to the spotty nature of the event in recent years.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2025
However, its security record has been a little spotty, and its free tier is limited.
—PCMAG, 4 Mar. 2025
The disease moves quickly, with patients experiencing high fever, body aches, weakness, headache, a sore throat and, in some, a red, spotty rash.
—Mark Kortepeter, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
The fate of the TCA press tour has been the focus of much conversation due to the spotty nature of the event in recent years.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotty
Adjective
-
More recently, the Trump administration’s sporadic tariff changes have made future prices more uncertain, which exposes people to risks.—
Sophie Mitra,
The Conversation,
1 May 2025
-
The bench was sporadic during the regular season, and outside of Mitchell Robinson and Cam Payne’s performance in the fourth quarter of Game 1, the bench has been nonexistent this playoffs.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The pair are searching for the source of a particular beep: the intermittent ping that a smoke alarm makes when its battery is running low.—
Kirk Johnson,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2025
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Based on the research, participants lost about 7 to 11 pounds over 10 weeks while intermittent fasting.18 Remember, fad diets are not healthy for you, especially long term.—
Sohaib Imtiaz,
Verywell Health,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Consistency turns occasional readers into followers who can predict your stance on related issues.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
-
The 31-year-old will provide reliability as a blocker, while serving as an occasional release valve over the middle.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In the meantime, crowds braved erratic weather for a festive opening weekend, and even early on a Monday morning, neighbors had already begun to converge, attracted by the new sod, tender trees, and open plaza that makes this 165-year-old wedge of nature look fresh and young again.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
28 Apr. 2025
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But Trump’s erratic purge of the federal workforce has undermined those very efforts.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotty. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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