spotty

adjective

spot·​ty ˈspä-tē How to pronounce spotty (audio)
spottier; spottiest
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 adverb
spottiness noun

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.
When the WiFi was spotty and dropped, the teams’ radio calls subsequently went dark. Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025 Nobody has time for spotty Wi-Fi, especially when there’s streaming, gaming, and endless scrolling to do. Juhi Wadia, PCMAG, 19 Mar. 2025 Meteorological records of stratospheric temperatures reach back only to the 1950s, making for a spotty dataset. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 6 Mar. 2025 With resources already stretched thin, that has led to spotty participation among local groups. Vernal Coleman, ProPublica, 26 Feb. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spotty. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

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 adverb
spottiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on spotty

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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