dotty

1 of 2

adjective (1)

dot·​ty ˈdä-tē 

dottier; dottiest

1

: not mentally sound

also : amiably eccentric

There's something delightful about meeting a 95-year-old who is as sharp as a tack. … That's way better than being known as the dotty old auntie or uncle …

—Carole Levy

2

: being obsessed or infatuated

They met at school as teenagers and have been dotty about each other ever since.

—Lynda Lee-Potter

3

: amusingly absurd : ridiculous

dotty ideas

dottily

ˈdä-tə-lē 

adverb

dottiness

ˈdä-tē-nəs 

noun

dotty

2 of 2

adjective (2)

: composed of or marked by dots

Synonyms

Adjective (1)

• absurd
• asinine
• balmy
• brainless
• bubbleheaded
• cockeyed
• crackpot
• crazy
• cuckoo
• daffy
• daft
• dippy
• fatuous
• featherheaded
• fool
• foolish
• half-baked
• half-witted
• harebrained
• inept
• insane
• jerky
• kooky
• kookie
• loony
• looney
• lunatic
• lunkheaded
• mad
• nonsensical
• nutty
• preposterous
• sappy
• screwball
• senseless
• silly
• simpleminded
• stupid
• tomfool
• unwise
• wacky
• whacky
• weak-minded
• witless
• zany

Examples of dotty in a Sentence

Adjective (1)

dotty relatives that we have to endure only on Thanksgiving

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Now, one of the largest celebrations of Kusama’s dotty world will debut at Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). —Mae Hamilton, Travel + Leisure, 9 Dec. 2024

Joanne and Morgan’s dotty mother, Lynn (Stephanie Faracy), dabbles in the metaphysical to constant mockery; their gay father, Henry (Michael Hitchcock), is rarely able to enjoy his own happiness. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2024

Smith starred as Joyce Chilvers, a small-town social climber in postwar Northern England whose hunger to be accepted by the elite locals isn’t helped by her dotty mother nor her underachieving podiatrist husband Gilbert, played by Michael Palin. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Sep. 2024

To play Sam’s dotty grandparents in Sixteen Candles, Hughes tapped a quartet of veteran character actors. —John Russell, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024

Clever dialogue and a feast of visual gags make this dotty comedy a sure-fire Halloween winner. —Danny Horn, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2023

Zoe and her dotty, irrepressible mother, Cath (Emma Thompson), are also on board for the festivities, which will be the centerpiece of Zoe’s documentary. —Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2023

The plots revolve around the cultural friction between the women and the roster of dotty customers who parade through the place. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Sep. 2022

Peter’s aunt and the IRL empress in historical Russia, here a delightfully dotty non-empress with weird fertility advice!) brings Catherine a frog to sit on her stomach to help with the pregnancy. —Alice Burton, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

alteration of Scots dottle fool, from Middle English dotel, from doten

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective (2)

1795, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dotty

adjective

dot·​ty

ˈdät-ē

dottier; dottiest

1

: mentally unbalanced

2

: amiably eccentric