Standard Lemma guide

spotty

adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒti
  • CMU ARPABET: S P AA1 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having spots; spotted.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Occurring in non-contiguous positions or locations.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Mobile phone reception in this area tends to be rather spotty.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Of inconsistent quality.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: shoddy, iffy
  • Many of the buyers had a spotty credit history.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shoddy, iffy

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Inconsistent: not reliably good, sometimes bad.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: shoddy, iffy
  • Many of the low-cost accessories (cords, chargers, etc) sold in the dollar store had spotty quality.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shoddy, iffy

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A common New Zealand fish, Notolabrus celidotus

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I went fishing today and all I caught were spotties.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

lacking consistency

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the golfer hit the ball well but his putting was spotty

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: uneven, scratchy

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

having spots or patches (small areas of contrasting color or texture)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a field patched with ice and snow
  • the wall had a spotty speckled effect
  • a black-and-white spotted cow

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: patched, spotted

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English spotty, equivalent to spot + -y.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: петнист (petnist) — having spots
  • Bulgarian: пъпчив (pǎpčiv) — having spots
  • German: fleckig — having spots
  • German: gefleckt — having spots
  • Hungarian: foltos — having spots
  • Hungarian: pettyes — having spots
  • Hungarian: pöttyös — having spots
  • Hungarian: szeplős — having spots
  • Hungarian: tarka — having spots
  • Māori: korotiwhatiwha — having spots
  • Māori: kōpurepure — having spots
  • Bulgarian: с неравномерно качество (s neravnomerno kačestvo) — of inconsistent quality
  • Chinese Mandarin: 参差的 — of inconsistent quality
  • German: durchwachsen — of inconsistent quality
  • Hungarian: egyenetlen — of inconsistent quality
  • Hungarian: ingadozó — of inconsistent quality
  • Hungarian: hézagos — of inconsistent quality
  • Māori: tāngahangaha — a type of fish
  • Māori: tāngāngā — a type of fish
  • Māori: pākirikiri — a type of fish
  • Māori: paekirikiri — a type of fish
  • Māori: paketi — a type of fish