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
But despite the consistent academic interest around the globe, actual implementation of circular solutions has been spotty.
—
Justin Worland, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
Yet despite its gung-ho attitude, San Diego’s record on housing has been spotty.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2025
Storms can be spotty and short-lived, while others can unleash strong winds, flashes of lightning and torrential downpours.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Aside from Penn State, Dan Lanning’s track record in big games in spotty.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Justin Worland, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
Yet despite its gung-ho attitude, San Diego’s record on housing has been spotty.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2025
Storms can be spotty and short-lived, while others can unleash strong winds, flashes of lightning and torrential downpours.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Aside from Penn State, Dan Lanning’s track record in big games in spotty.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spotty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotty
Adjective
-
The English-language narration, delivered by Kyra Sedgwick, is used for sporadic, jarring and rarely necessary info drops, and would have felt more at home on the soundtrack of a PBS nature series.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
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Trump deploys 'Bibisitters' The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal has largely held, though sporadic fighting since the deal was signed has erupted and left two Israeli soldiers and more than 40 Palestinians dead.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This reversible quilt has a hint of floral romance on one side and a more minimalist dotted print on the other.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
9 Oct. 2025
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Examples include dotted prints, the flat-thong sandal and the color yellow.—
Chloe Veltman,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Unlike other renewable sources of energy, which are intermittent, osmotic power runs 24 hours per day, independent of the weather.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
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Most areas along the western and northern lakeshore will see intermittent rain, though totals are lighter than the heaviest lake-effect bands farther north.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Freep.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
When not multi-colored with bespoke rainbows or other artists’ visions, two-tone exterior color patterns were also acceptable decades ago.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
26 Oct. 2025
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Don't clean colored or delicate fabrics like silk, electronics, or some types of metal.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
There are occasional reminders that the Mafia lingers.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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All the pieces seem to fit, producing a symphony of contact and occasional crescendo of slug.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
After weeks of erratic readings, Lewis reverted to the older G6 model and raised $25,000 on TikTok (@typeonederfulwells) to purchase a diabetes-alert service dog.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
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However, Dern has struggled to wrestle with any consistency in the UFC, and her striking has been erratic, though she’s improved over seven years in the promotion.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotty. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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