SPOTTILY Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

spottily

adverb

Definition of spottily

as in intermittently

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spottily

Adverb

Form a mini book club together, stopping intermittently to pulse check your feelings about the same book.

— Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Munda, 19, has intermittently trained with the seniors over the past couple of seasons and the energetic midfielder is primed for a loan move in the new season.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Definition of intermittently

Adverb

Martin Filler The Met’s new Tristan und Isolde was a vocal triumph for Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres, but Yuval Sharon’s staging only fitfully captured the essence of Wagner’s masterpiece.

— The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 23 May 2026
That’s Duncan’s dilemma from the very beginning of this fitfully hilarious episode of The Audacity.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2026

Definition of fitfully

Adverb

Without all three, autonomous AI systems will continue to operate unpredictably, creating risks that undermine trust and reduce ROI.

— Jesse Stockall, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
But patients also need confidence that review standards will not shift unpredictably after sponsors and investigators have designed trials in consultation with the agency.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 14 July 2026

Definition of unpredictably

Adverb

And fortuitously, Napalm Death, who played a 19-minute set, espouse the same lefty politics as NPR, in fact maybe even a little more leftist, all things considered, since Barney Greenway wore a Crass T-shirt to the gig.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2026
Dean Fleischer Camp directed the film, which was originally meant to stream on Disney+, but fortuitously, things changed and, in 2024, the film was given a theatrical release.

— Angelique Jackson, Variety, 12 June 2026

Definition of fortuitously

Adverb

His brilliant work and my brother’s life started to merge unconsciously for me.

— Josh Penn Soskin, Variety, 16 July 2026
But aside from the virtually non-existent rear visibility and my tendency to unconsciously favor the left side of the lane due to the car’s central seating position, the 21C is remarkably easy to acclimate to.

— Bradley Iger, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026

Definition of unconsciously

Adverb

Experts caution against using Japanese beetle traps to manage infestations, since these pheromone-releasing devices can inadvertently attract more beetles to your garden.

— The Spruce, The Spruce, 21 July 2026
An early investigation into the fire found that the victim — who was blind — was inside his apartment when the oven was inadvertently turned on, according to the coroner’s office.

— Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026

Definition of inadvertently

Adverb

Robert is unwittingly entrapped, and has absconded with something mob bigwig Lombardi wants revenge for.

— Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
Recent reporting suggests Thiel has extended the argument to Pope Leo XIV directly, framing the current pope’s openness to AI regulation as making him—unwittingly—a vehicle for the same dynamic.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 July 2026

Definition of unwittingly

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

spotters

spottily

spotting

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Spottily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spottily. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of spottily

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inveigle

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes