1
: variegated in color
a motley coat
2
: made up of many different people or things
a motley crowd
a motley collection of junk
Synonyms
Examples of motley in a Sentence
Adjective
a motley collection of junk
a motley crew of musicians
Noun
the motleys with their colorful outfits
a motley of old junk stored in the attic
Recent Examples on the Web
Susan Saulny, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
The United Left, a motley collection of postcommunist leftovers, didn’t manage to win even a single seat, signaling its terminal demise.
—Marek Garztecki, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2015
Rudy Lee, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023
This made us—with all our human, mortal limitations—rather like the God of all those past centuries of belief, or should that be credulity: the God who retained and stored away everything in his motley, moveless time, in which nothing was new or old, remote or recent.
—Margaret Jull Costa, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for motley 
Adjective
Over the past five years, seven conservators have helped to revive its motley parts for display.
—Susan Saulny, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
The United Left, a motley collection of postcommunist leftovers, didn’t manage to win even a single seat, signaling its terminal demise.
—Marek Garztecki, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2015
Noun
Kaan kaan wu, with its motley of melds, is where these two tiles from different suits can be used in a clean-sweeping hand.
—Rudy Lee, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023
This made us—with all our human, mortal limitations—rather like the God of all those past centuries of belief, or should that be credulity: the God who retained and stored away everything in his motley, moveless time, in which nothing was new or old, remote or recent.
—Margaret Jull Costa, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for motley
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'motley.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near motley
Cite this Entry
“Motley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motley. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
motley
1 of 2 adjective
mot·ley
ˈmät-lē 
1
: having various colors
2
: composed of various often unlike kinds or parts
a motley collection of junk
motley
2 of 2 noun1
a
: a garment of mixed colors worn by a court jester
2
: a mixture of different elements
Biographical Definition
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