spottier; spottiest
2
: lacking uniformity especially in quality
the performance was spotty
also
: irregularly or sparsely distributed
spotty attendance
spotty data
Synonyms
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
Team travel hours and sometimes spotty WiFi at hotels made meeting the commitments of that role difficult.
—
Melissa Lockard, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Big cities didn’t have much need for cable until Dolan realized that service could be spotty in areas of Manhattan because of tall buildings and other obstructions.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 29 Dec. 2024
Hygiene and education efforts are spotty, and surveillance largely relies on people seeking care, rather than on teams actively hunting for cases.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 9 Dec. 2024
For a class of medications that holds so much promise in a nation where 42% of adults have obesity, consumers are frustrated that prices and spotty insurance coverage of GLP-1s have limited their access.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 1 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spotty 
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Melissa Lockard, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Big cities didn’t have much need for cable until Dolan realized that service could be spotty in areas of Manhattan because of tall buildings and other obstructions.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 29 Dec. 2024
Hygiene and education efforts are spotty, and surveillance largely relies on people seeking care, rather than on teams actively hunting for cases.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 9 Dec. 2024
For a class of medications that holds so much promise in a nation where 42% of adults have obesity, consumers are frustrated that prices and spotty insurance coverage of GLP-1s have limited their access.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 1 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spotty
Dictionary Entries Near spotty
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spotty. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spotty
adjective
spot·ty
ˈspät-ē 
spottier; spottiest
1
: having spots
2
: not always the same especially in quality
your work has been spotty
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