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

• dottiness
  noun
• dottily
  adverb

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

“We want proper sanitation as much as anybody wants it. We don’t want our children swimming in an ocean of bacteria,” said Dotty Kelly-Paddock, president of the Hauula Community Association.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 5, 2023

Dotty, a general manager at a stainless-steel treatment factory in the city of Foshan, has automated product packaging and work surface cleaning, but says a similar fix for other functions would be too costly.

From Reuters • Nov. 21, 2022

“That must be a new thing they’re doing?” wondered Allison Gaul, 38, a lawyer walking her 10-year-old Dalmatian, Dotty, nearby.

From Washington Post • Jul. 31, 2022

Dotty bought a freezer on sale for $486.50.

From Textbooks • Apr. 22, 2020

He probably knows what they were wearing and what they had for breakfast and now he’s telling Dotty O’Neill it was the three Marys.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt