spotty

adjective

spot·​ty ˈspä-tē 

spottier; spottiest

1

: marked with spots : spotted

2

: lacking uniformity especially in quality

the performance was spotty

also : irregularly or sparsely distributed

spotty attendance

spotty data

spottily

ˈspä-tə-lē 

adverb

spottiness

ˈspä-tē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of spotty

• sporadic
• intermittent
• occasional
• erratic

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 Wi-Fi is free, though coverage is spotty at best. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026

But, some additional spotty rain is possible through the commute home and early evening plans. —Cutter Martin, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026

After some spotty sunshine in the city and the official start of spring, Philadelphia is seeing a slight dip in temperature for the weekend. —Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026

Rains can be spotty across Arizona’s Sky Islands, but Douglas, where the Malpai Borderlands Group is headquartered, received less than 10 inches in annual rainfall in the past five years, compared with the 20-inch annual total in the 1980s. —Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for spotty

• dotty
• doughty
• draughty
• haughty
• knotty
• naughty
• potty
• scottie
• strati
• zloty
• basmati
• bharati

Kids 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

spottily

ˈspät-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

spottiness

ˈspät-ē-nəs 

noun