1
as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence
only spotty business failures marred the economic boom
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dotted
marked with spots
Dalmatians are spotty dogs
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of spotty
Team travel hours and sometimes spotty WiFi at hotels made meeting the commitments of that role difficult.
—
Melissa Lockard, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Big cities didn’t have much need for cable until Dolan realized that service could be spotty in areas of Manhattan because of tall buildings and other obstructions.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 29 Dec. 2024
Hygiene and education efforts are spotty, and surveillance largely relies on people seeking care, rather than on teams actively hunting for cases.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 9 Dec. 2024
For a class of medications that holds so much promise in a nation where 42% of adults have obesity, consumers are frustrated that prices and spotty insurance coverage of GLP-1s have limited their access.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 1 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spotty 
Melissa Lockard, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Big cities didn’t have much need for cable until Dolan realized that service could be spotty in areas of Manhattan because of tall buildings and other obstructions.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 29 Dec. 2024
Hygiene and education efforts are spotty, and surveillance largely relies on people seeking care, rather than on teams actively hunting for cases.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 9 Dec. 2024
For a class of medications that holds so much promise in a nation where 42% of adults have obesity, consumers are frustrated that prices and spotty insurance coverage of GLP-1s have limited their access.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 1 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spotty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotty
Adjective
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Bird flu viruses typically don’t infect humans, aside from sporadic cases in people who have close contact with infected animals.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr.,
NBC News,
17 Jan. 2025
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Light, sporadic snow will continue in the Denver area through Sunday, forecasters said.—
Lauren Penington,
The Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Situated only a hefty clearance from the Manchester Ship Canal, the ground, complete with a two-storey clubhouse, 250-seat stand and even a commentators’ box, has since had intermittent use from various Sunday League sides and most recently an under-18s team managed by YouTuber ‘Angry Ginge’.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
The Athletic,
17 Jan. 2025
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Such moments of creative exhilaration were intermittent adornments of a diffuse slog.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Breathe Better Air pollution hides inside our homes, causing health effects ranging from the occasional sneeze to chronic respiratory issues.—
Anna Haines,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
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While their attraction to each other was on full display throughout the series, so were the occasional discourse and disagreements.—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Biden appeared unsteady, his responses erratic, his voice a hoarse whisper.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
16 Jan. 2025
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The mountains can also make the winds more erratic because additional whirls of wind, known as wind eddies, can form as the air moves across the peaks and through the canyons.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
14 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near spotty
Cite this Entry
“Spotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotty. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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