dotty

¹ American  

[dot-ee] / ˈdɒt i /

adjective

Informal.

dottier, dottiest

1. crazy or eccentric.

2. feeble or unsteady in gait.

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

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dotty ² American  

[dot-ee] / ˈdɒt i /

adjective

dottier, dottiest

1. marked with dots; dotted.

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dotty British  

/ ˈdɒtɪ /

adjective

1. slang feeble-minded; slightly crazy

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

3. marked with dots

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Other Word Forms

• dottily
  adverb
• dottiness
  noun

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

Lise has run-ins with other passengers aboard her flight and, once at her destination, befriends a bumbling, dotty widow.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

Then, in 2024, he had to have the dotty idea to throw himself into contention for the vice presidency.

From Slate • Jan. 10, 2026

Versatile and assured, Sternhagen played women who were folksy, regal, plain-spoken and glamorous, although she had a special fondness for dotty eccentrics and snobby patricians.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2023

And at last, we get the spectacle of Mullally unleashed as the apparently dotty, sort-of wheelchair-bound mom, lisping her way to glory.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 6, 2023

We like to regard the olfactory bulb as a sort of archeologic find, and we speak of the ancient olfactory parts of the brain as though they were elderly, dotty relatives in need of hobbies.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas