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
His tackling can be spotty and he’s been battling injuries throughout the pre-draft process.
—
Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
This can result in spotty memories of events that occurred while drinking, or complete amnesia that might span hours.
—Eric Wood, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Elvis, for one, was seen by many in the years following his death, with a newspaper report of a sighting in Kalamazoo at least as reliable as the spotty accounts shared by fervent believers two millennia ago.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
Kaegi’s changes face some hurdles outside his control, including spotty cooperation from local governments and a tight taxing schedule that can delay fixes by months.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
This can result in spotty memories of events that occurred while drinking, or complete amnesia that might span hours.
—Eric Wood, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Elvis, for one, was seen by many in the years following his death, with a newspaper report of a sighting in Kalamazoo at least as reliable as the spotty accounts shared by fervent believers two millennia ago.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
Kaegi’s changes face some hurdles outside his control, including spotty cooperation from local governments and a tight taxing schedule that can delay fixes by months.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotty
Adjective
-
During her active years with WWE, which spanned from 2006 to her initial departure in 2012 and included subsequent sporadic returns for special appearances, Kelly Kelly achieved a significant milestone by capturing the WWE Divas Championship.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
-
These societies could survive without the sporadic acquisition of meat, anthropologists note.—
Amanda Ruggeri,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
During intermittent periods for minutes at a time, the NYPD and MTAPD strategically closed certain doors temporarily out of the hundreds of doors throughout the terminal to prevent additional demonstrators from entering.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Invisible geckos belt out intermittent clicks from the foliage, as brown pelicans sweep lazily across the sky, patrolling the shoreline for their daily fill.—
Ashlee Marie Preston,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The house that the Americans strategically position themselves in is home to two families; there are occasional insert shots of family photos and trinkets, and at several points these families are shown cowering, terrified by what’s happening around them.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2025
-
In general, bigleaf hydrangeas require little pruning, save for occasional shaping and thinning.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The cuts would devastate weather and climate research as weather is becoming more erratic, extreme and costly.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Wall Street has been in an erratic yo-yo pattern since Donald Trump announced, held off, implemented, augmented, and paused worldwide tariffs.—
Lieke ten Brummelhuis,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotty. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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