dotty

¹

[dot-ee]

adjective

Informal.

dottier, dottiest 

1. crazy or eccentric.

2. feeble or unsteady in gait.

3. very enthusiastic or infatuated (usually followed by about orover ).

dotty

²

[dot-ee]

adjective

dottier, dottiest 

1. marked with dots; dotted.

dotty

/ ˈdɒtɪ /

adjective

1. slang,  feeble-minded; slightly crazy

2. slang,  (foll by about) extremely fond (of)

3. marked with dots

Other Word Forms

• dottily adverb
• dottiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dotty¹

1805–15; perhaps dott(ard) variant of dotard + -y ¹

Origin of dotty²

First recorded in 1805–15; dot ¹ + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of dotty¹

C19: from _dot ¹ : sense development of 1 from meaning of "unsteady on one's feet"

Example Sentences

"If you see someone on the M40 looking particularly dotty," she told a surprised reporter, "it's me trying to rap in the car going home."

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Murphy’s Countess is a dotty, conscientious woman awoken from her comfort and determined to claim it back.

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He has also typically been blessed with actors skilled at selling dotty setups with deadpan ease.

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So did a chunk of our dotty heads.

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Ms. Lansbury’s final competitive win — for best featured actress in a play — was for “Blithe Spirit,” a 2009 revival of the Noel Coward comedy in which she played a dotty clairvoyant.

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