1
as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence
only spotty business failures marred the economic boom
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dotted
marked with spots
Dalmatians are spotty dogs
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spotty
Carr blamed communication failures, saying that cell phone service at Camp Mystic is spotty even in clear weather.
—
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2025
However, a few spotty rain showers cannot be ruled out, especially in west-central Ohio and areas near and south of I-71 toward the Ohio River.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 11 July 2025
Peter Zay | Anadolu | Getty Images The Natural State's susceptibility to severe weather — like a spring tornado outbreak in 2023, the most recent full year of grid reliability data available — is not helping the Arkansas grid's already spotty record.
—Scott Cohn, CNBC, 18 July 2025
Parts of the county also have spotty cell service or none at all.
—Morgan Chesky, NBC news, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2025
However, a few spotty rain showers cannot be ruled out, especially in west-central Ohio and areas near and south of I-71 toward the Ohio River.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 11 July 2025
Peter Zay | Anadolu | Getty Images The Natural State's susceptibility to severe weather — like a spring tornado outbreak in 2023, the most recent full year of grid reliability data available — is not helping the Arkansas grid's already spotty record.
—Scott Cohn, CNBC, 18 July 2025
Parts of the county also have spotty cell service or none at all.
—Morgan Chesky, NBC news, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotty
Adjective
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Because of the sporadic nature of the thunderstorms, the severity and impact of the monsoon can vary season to season In Tucson, Arizona, so far this monsoon season has only produced just under 2 inches of rain as of Friday, which is among the drier monsoon seasons on record.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
30 Aug. 2025
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Remaining band members Mike Shinoda, Dave Farrell, Brad Delson and Joe Hahn made sporadic appearances in the last seven years, and now new lead vocalist Emily Armstrong is hoping to carry on Bennington’s legacy while writing a new chapter with the band.—
Joseph Hernandez
August 29,
Kansas City Star,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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An experienced hiker who had completed several solo trips in challenging conditions, Luhn knew cell service would be spotty and warned his wife any communications from inside the park would be intermittent.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
22 Aug. 2025
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The rapper’s intermittent social media posts were ultimately followed by his Thursday morning arrest.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Debate and occasional messiness is part of normal partisan politics.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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Aside from the occasional hormonal blemish, my skin stayed calm.—
Micaela English,
Flow Space,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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As observed through their youngest daughter as the film’s protagonist, a family of six’s move to a new home seems to trigger erratic, dangerous behavior in their oldest son.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
6 Aug. 2025
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The tech industry can be easy to hate—the erratic CEOs, the biased algorithms, the environmental damage.—
Sarah Rose Etter,
The Atlantic,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotty. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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