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spotty

 - 3 dictionary results

spot⋅ty

[spot-ee]
–adjective -ti⋅er, -ti⋅est.
1. full of, having, or occurring in spots: spotty coloring.
2. irregular or uneven in quality or character: a spotty performance.

Origin:
1300–50; ME; see spot, -y 1


spot⋅ti⋅ly, adverb
spot⋅ti⋅ness, noun


2. erratic, random, sporadic, episodic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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spot·ty   (spŏt'ē)   
adj.   spot·ti·er, spot·ti·est
  1. Lacking consistency; uneven.

  2. Having or marked with spots; spotted.

spot'ti·ly adv., spot'ti·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

spotty  (adj.)
1340, "marked with spots," from spot (n.). Meaning "unsteady, uneven" is attested from 1932, from a more specific use with ref. to painting (1812).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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