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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spotty
Though the polka dot motif has a rather spotty history, the pattern was well sought-after in the 20th century, as a means to denote the refined, precise grade of industrial manufacturing.
—
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
Given the Patriots’ spotty depth at safety, Las Vegas figures to attack early and often through Bowers and potentially Jeanty, a capable pass-catching back.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Recently, fans and the media have been focusing more on him due to his recurring mistakes, apparently caused by carelessness with and without the ball, as well as his spotty health record.
—Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
In recent years, local transit agencies have increasingly adopted hydrogen fuel cell buses, and thousands of California drivers have bought personal hydrogen cars, though fuel availability has proved spotty.
—Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
Given the Patriots’ spotty depth at safety, Las Vegas figures to attack early and often through Bowers and potentially Jeanty, a capable pass-catching back.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Recently, fans and the media have been focusing more on him due to his recurring mistakes, apparently caused by carelessness with and without the ball, as well as his spotty health record.
—Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
In recent years, local transit agencies have increasingly adopted hydrogen fuel cell buses, and thousands of California drivers have bought personal hydrogen cars, though fuel availability has proved spotty.
—Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotty
Adjective
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Humberto Leon, of Opening Ceremony, acted as something of a business mentor; Jennifer Sabel, a casting director and longtime friend, provided sporadic, informal investments—a couple thousand dollars here and there, with no strings attached.—
Ana Karina Zatarain,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 2025
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Over in Grand Rapids, there’s sporadic pushback on fluoridation, said water system manager Wayne Jernberg.—
Anna Clark,
ProPublica,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Simple arithmetic such as 355/113 could be calculated in place by selecting the text and pressing USE FRONT-CALC (Control-G), which yields the answer with a dotted underline to indicate the result of a computation.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
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Prospects seem good that someone will sign on the dotted line during or soon after the Toronto event.—
Julie Hinds,
Freep.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In some cases, this even results in no weight loss during intermittent fasting, and instead to muscle loss and fat buildup.—
Frederik Jötten,
Scientific American,
12 Sep. 2025
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What's more, intermittent fasting (which has been shown to alleviate some symptoms of Alzheimer's disease), following a period of eating a high-fat diet was also enough of an intervention to restore normal activity to the CCK interneurons.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Women in brightly colored dresses danced in shoes that loudly clicked across the floor.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Sep. 2025
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Across the valley sat a two-story barn where caramel-colored and chestnut-spotted horses plus a storybook white one were lined up along the wooden fence.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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It’s located in an oak knoll for peak tranquility, surrounded by olive trees and verdant plants and visited by the occasional deer.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
20 Sep. 2025
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However, there has been the occasional homeless person who wanders onto the property and needs to be redirected or community member who wants to attend the mass, not realizing the service is for the school kids only.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Simmons attributed the early struggles to some erratic snaps by center Julius Pierce along with FIU’s inability to execute double-team blocks.—
Alex Krutchik,
Miami Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
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That same year, the actor was fired from the sitcom following a series of erratic public outbursts and reported clashes with showrunner Chuck Lorre.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotty. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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