spotty

adjective

ˈspä-tē How to pronounce spotty (audio)
Definition of spottynext
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

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.
Recent Examples of spotty For an undisputed member of the rock god pantheon, Tony Iommi has had a surprisingly spotty solo career. — Brad Sanders, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026 Later in the week and into the weekend, the chance of rain decreases with spotty showers possible through Halloween weekend. — CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 The flood threat from Western Texas to southwest Kansas is expected to start winding down Monday, but some spotty flooding is still possible. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026 Even without hard blocks, agents’ access to retailers is spotty. — Mia Sato, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spotty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotty
  1. sporadic
  2. dotted
  3. intermittent
  4. colored
  5. occasional
  6. erratic
Adjective
  • Credit goes to the cast, particularly Byrne and Gleeson, for internalizing their showy character quirks to such a degree that Sam’s limp, vision impairment, and sporadic stutter — yes, also a stutter!
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 Nov. 2026
  • McCord has had sporadic first-team reps in practice the first half of the season, according to Hafley, since Miami traded with Green Bay for him ahead of the season.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of sporadic
Adjective
  • But Franklyn said Cooper wanted to complete the paperwork quickly — so Franklyn signed on the dotted line.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Okongwu caught an inbound pass just outside the arc, dribbled in, and pulled up at the dotted line.
    — Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of dotted
Adjective
  • In this light, Kanye West’s intermittent admiration for Hitler seems less an anomaly than an homage to a venerable tradition.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Users experiencing continued problems may still encounter intermittent access issues as Microsoft works through its recovery process.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of intermittent
Adjective
  • The brightly colored walls in the home are filled with the Krauses’ collection, including works by Tacita Dean, Raymond Saunders, Rachel Harrison, Richard Tuttle, Rudolf Stingel, and Franz Ackermann, the latter a commission.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Bold green pelmets and stone inserts are meant to recall emeralds and colored gemstones.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of colored
Adjective
  • Medics and nurses here do simulations often, both to pass the Critical Care Academy, and also to stay up to date on occasional but critical events, like emergency births, newborn resuscitation, and burns.
    — Elaine Appleton-Grant, NPR, 8 Nov. 2026
  • But for Mao, the occasional allergic reaction is apparently a small price to pay for some quality cat time.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of occasional
Adjective
  • Experts are warning Connecticut motorists to stay alert as the chances of colliding with deer are greatest during the final months of the year as white-tail deer mating season makes the animals more erratic and dangerous.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Meanwhile, neither of these games appears to have been optimized for the M5 Ultra's 80 GPU cores within the Mac Studio desktop, hence the erratic comparative results throughout.
    — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of erratic

Browse Nearby Words

spotting
spotty
spousal
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Cite this Entry

“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotty. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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