spottier; spottiest
2
: lacking uniformity especially in quality
the performance was spotty
also
: irregularly or sparsely distributed
spotty attendance
spotty data
Synonyms
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 safety record is a little spottier abroad, but most common destinations for U.S. travelers, like western Europe, southeast Asia, the Middle East and Oceania have similarly strong aviation safety records.
—
Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
So far regulations on gambling ads in the U.S. have been spotty.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2025
Song hooked an external battery to her router and modem and was able to communicate with neighbors who couldn’t check the warnings and orders due to spotty cell service and power outages.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Minnesota has needed those contributions as their secondary scoring has been spotty at best, especially with Kaprizov out.
—Joe Smith, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for spotty 
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Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
So far regulations on gambling ads in the U.S. have been spotty.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2025
Song hooked an external battery to her router and modem and was able to communicate with neighbors who couldn’t check the warnings and orders due to spotty cell service and power outages.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Minnesota has needed those contributions as their secondary scoring has been spotty at best, especially with Kaprizov out.
—Joe Smith, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for spotty
Dictionary Entries Near spotty
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spotty. Accessed 8 Feb. 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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