dotty
1 Americanadjective
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crazy or eccentric.
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feeble or unsteady in gait.
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very enthusiastic or infatuated (usually followed by about orover ).
adjective
adjective
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slang feeble-minded; slightly crazy
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slang (foll by about) extremely fond (of)
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marked with dots
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dotty1
1805–15; perhaps dott(ard) variant of dotard + -y 1
Origin of dotty2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
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
A four-time Tony Award winner who brought humanity to larger-than-life characters, whether it be the dotty schoolteacher Miss Jean Brodie, an aging opera star Maria Callas or the betrayed, murderous Medea.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2020
"I won't be able to talk to you much once we're in the Dining-Room. If I do, people will think I'm dotty and talking to myself."
From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl
He has, however, replaced it with one that is, if anything, even dottier.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 10, 2011
The whole idea – driven, apparently, by the need to get more southern bums on northern seats to fulfil contract pledges – couldn't be dottier.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 24, 2010
When Heartbreak House was presented last week under Welles's direction and with himself in the leading role of 88-year-old Captain Shotover, even the dottiest Mercury fan could not help having qualms.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
