spotty

adjective

spot·​ty ˈspä-tē How to pronounce spotty (audio)
spottier; spottiest
Synonyms of spottynext
1
: marked with spots : spotted
2
: lacking uniformity especially in quality
the performance was spotty
also : irregularly or sparsely distributed
spotty attendance
spotty data
spottily
ˈspä-tə-lē How to pronounce spotty (audio)
adverb
spottiness
ˈspä-tē-nəs How to pronounce spotty (audio)
noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of spotty in a Sentence

Her work has been spotty. The service at that restaurant is a little spotty. students with spotty attendance records
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
However, execution of Honeywell’s current operations has been spotty and is hurting the stock. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024 Exacerbating spotty data, third party loan purchasers don’t need to track demographic information at all. —Michael Del Castillo, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2024 Quick Read Deep Read ( 4 Min. ) Lawson Waldrop used to have a spotty attendance record. —Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Oct. 2024 Virtual learning hasn’t been an option while school has been closed because internet connectivity has been spotty. —Kathy Park, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for spotty 

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spotty was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near spotty

spottle

spotty

spot up

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spotty. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

spotty

adjective
spot·​ty ˈspät-ē How to pronounce spotty (audio)
spottier; spottiest
1
: having spots
2
: not always the same especially in quality
your work has been spotty
spottily
ˈspät-ᵊl-ē How to pronounce spotty (audio)
adverb
spottiness
ˈspät-ē-nəs How to pronounce spotty (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on spotty

Nglish: Translation of spotty for Spanish Speakers

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