spottier; spottiest
2
: lacking uniformity especially in quality
the performance was spotty
also
: irregularly or sparsely distributed
spotty attendance
spotty data
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
The attack happened about a half-mile down a trail at Devil’s Den near West Fork, a place with spotty cellphone service and challenging terrain, Hagar said.
—
Arkansas Online, 1 Aug. 2025
Carr blamed communication failures, saying that cell phone service at Camp Mystic is spotty even in clear weather.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2025
However, a few spotty rain showers cannot be ruled out, especially in west-central Ohio and areas near and south of I-71 toward the Ohio River.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 11 July 2025
Peter Zay | Anadolu | Getty Images The Natural State's susceptibility to severe weather — like a spring tornado outbreak in 2023, the most recent full year of grid reliability data available — is not helping the Arkansas grid's already spotty record.
—Scott Cohn, CNBC, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
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Arkansas Online, 1 Aug. 2025
Carr blamed communication failures, saying that cell phone service at Camp Mystic is spotty even in clear weather.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2025
However, a few spotty rain showers cannot be ruled out, especially in west-central Ohio and areas near and south of I-71 toward the Ohio River.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 11 July 2025
Peter Zay | Anadolu | Getty Images The Natural State's susceptibility to severe weather — like a spring tornado outbreak in 2023, the most recent full year of grid reliability data available — is not helping the Arkansas grid's already spotty record.
—Scott Cohn, CNBC, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spotty. Accessed 6 Aug. 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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