1
as in eclectic
consisting of many things of different sorts
a ship with a motley crew of old salts, young adventurers, and shifty characters of all ages
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in colorful
marked by a variety of usually vivid colors
a tropical bird with motley plumage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in assortment
an unorganized collection or mixture of various things
a motley of old junk stored in the attic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of motley
Katherine Burns Olson, Architectural Digest, 17 Apr. 2025
Daisy, and a motley group of co-workers, toil in a cottage industry of agencies that evaluate harmful and offensive pictures and videos uploaded to social media.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Esha Chhabra, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022
His tall, broad-shouldered hunchback stomps around the court in the multi-colored motley teasing his master and his henchmen with seeming good-natured gaiety.
—Bill Hirschman, sun-sentinel.com, 14 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for motley
Adjective
Their Manhattan apartment building is home to a motley ensemble of residents that could’ve come straight from Central Casting.
—Katherine Burns Olson, Architectural Digest, 17 Apr. 2025
Daisy, and a motley group of co-workers, toil in a cottage industry of agencies that evaluate harmful and offensive pictures and videos uploaded to social media.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
With a total team of 25 today, Schaper is trying to juggle a motley of distribution channels, each with their own unique needs and processes.
—Esha Chhabra, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022
His tall, broad-shouldered hunchback stomps around the court in the multi-colored motley teasing his master and his henchmen with seeming good-natured gaiety.
—Bill Hirschman, sun-sentinel.com, 14 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for motley
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motley
Adjective
-
Over her many years in the public eye, Hadid’s fashion sense has stayed largely consistent: eclectic and fun-loving—a mix of supermodel and California kid.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
17 July 2025
-
Lebanese-American auteur Lina Matta returns with an eclectic array of feature films and documentaries for this year’s series shining light on contemporary Arab filmmakers.—
Karu F. Daniels,
New York Daily News,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
The vibrant, colorful buildings captured the lively and diverse spirit of the Caribbean.—
Ronny Maye,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
-
Shop slingback flats, leather Mary Janes, colorful suede sneakers, and more of this season’s biggest trends while saving up to 70 percent off.—
Genevieve Cepeda,
Travel + Leisure,
20 July 2025
Noun
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For a woman who devotes herself to God is a mystic, whereas a woman who lusts after a mortal man is a fool.—
Terry Nguyen
July 23,
Literary Hub,
23 July 2025
-
In any greater fool game, the last one is the one who loses most.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
Margin pressure, brand confusion and an inability to localize assortment finally led the American parent to divest its last 15% stake in March 2025, marking a full exit from Japan.—
Rebecca Takada,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
At one point in the video, the camera pans closer to Hayek Pinault to show off the assortment of gold chains across her body.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
Equip them with discussion points, questions and varied perspectives.—
Antoine Andrews,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
-
In all of these cities, the difference between buying and renting varied from $1,166 to $2,623.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
Visitors can take part in the action at the on-site museum where 700 pieces of clown memorabilia are displayed in every nook and cranny, some even suspended from the ceiling.—
Rebecca Deurlein,
Southern Living,
22 July 2025
-
Pepe the Frog became political, then hate symbol, during 2016 election The frog doodle in clown accessories that flashes in the video is known as Pepe the Frog, and its appearance in Trump's social media posts has sparked interest before.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
Noun
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In jumbles of old stones that, to me, are barely legible as the remains of buildings, Cocon López could see the entire timeline of old Aké and how later people interacted with and repurposed what came before.—
Lizzie Wade,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
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Instead, voters themselves are jumbles of competing and sometimes contradictory interests.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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When Lex shares that bombshell with the world, Superman takes quite a beating in the public discourse — setting up a montage in which assorted news programs and talk shows trash the Kryptonian.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
12 July 2025
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To cap off the evening, guests will receive a take-home box of assorted sweet bites, including a lemon bar, brownie, blondie and more.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motley.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motley. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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