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
Command has been somewhere between spotty and nonexistent across Imai’s first five major-league starts.
—
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Some spotty, swirling nail art.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 May 2026
Checking in at the visitor center is helpful to get a lay of the land and to learn what parts of the park may be busy or inaccessible, especially since cell service is spotty in areas.
—Maryam Siddiqi, Travel + Leisure, 23 May 2026
Forecasters say some cooler temperatures and spotty rain chances could develop in parts of the state heading into the Memorial Day weekend and early next week, especially across Northern California and coastal areas.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Some spotty, swirling nail art.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 May 2026
Checking in at the visitor center is helpful to get a lay of the land and to learn what parts of the park may be busy or inaccessible, especially since cell service is spotty in areas.
—Maryam Siddiqi, Travel + Leisure, 23 May 2026
Forecasters say some cooler temperatures and spotty rain chances could develop in parts of the state heading into the Memorial Day weekend and early next week, especially across Northern California and coastal areas.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotty
Adjective
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In recent years, however, enforcement was sporadic, allowing vendors selling food, souvenirs and other goods to operate near Millennium Park.—
Laura Rodríguez Presa,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
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Many of Myanmar’s resource-rich areas, where most mining operations have been largely unregulated, are controlled by different armed militias engaged in sporadic fighting against the central government to seek greater autonomy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Barça fancy the idea of signing Silva according to Mundo Deportivo, and the Portuguese international is eager to sign on the dotted line to don Blaugrana.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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If the ratio breaks higher, through the black dotted down trendline, the question of which sector has the advantage heading into the back half of 2026 will finally be answered — technology.—
Todd Gordon,
CNBC,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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Details of the forum focused on the intermittent water supply affecting an overall population of nearly 10 million people were published Thursday by the official website Cubadebate.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
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Timing and exact coverage remain less certain this far out, but intermittent rounds of showers and storms look likely Saturday through Monday.—
Nelly Carreño,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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In the Menil work, the central character is an artist brandishing a bouquet of colored pencils, surrounded by a seraphic tumble of monochrome extras that are her handiwork.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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The ones still managing to a colored dashboard will be answering for it.—
Yonesy Nunez,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Despite the occasional presence of industry executives eager to share new product, the atmosphere is anything but corporate.—
Jayson Buford,
Robb Report,
4 June 2026
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Our tester, who has combination skin with occasional eczema, noted that the silky, gel-cream texture felt lightweight, but the cream was still deeply moisturizing.—
Jenny Berg,
InStyle,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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His erratic, punitive and ultimately unconstitutional approach to tariffs has resulted in an economic mess of payouts to farmers and reimbursements.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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Roki Sasaki flashed triple-digit velocity for the first time this season, but battled erratic command.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotty. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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