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motley

[ mot-lee ]
/ ˈmɒt li /
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adjective

noun, plural mot·leys.

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QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
Question 1 of 7
Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
their
there
they're
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Origin of motley

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English motele, motlay, mottelay “mixture of colors, variegated; a parti-colored garment”; of uncertain origin; perhaps akin to mote1.See -ly

Words nearby motley

motive power, motivic, motivity, mot juste, Motlanthe, motley, motmot, moto, motocross, motofacient, moton

Definition for motley (2 of 2)

Motley
[ mot-lee ]
/ ˈmɒt li /

noun

John Lo·throp [loh-thruhp], /ˈloʊ θrəp/, 1814–77, U.S. historian and diplomat.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to motley

kaleidoscopic, disparate, conglomerate, rainbow, assorted, diversified, variegated, mottled, dappled, mixed, mingled, discrepant, dissimilar, heterogeneous, indiscriminate, miscellaneous, multicolored, unlike, various, multicolor

Example sentences from the Web for motley

British Dictionary definitions for motley

motley
/ (ˈmɒtlɪ) /

adjective

made up of elements of varying type, quality, etc
multicoloured

noun

a motley collection or mixture
the particoloured attire of a jester
obsolete a jester

Word Origin for motley

C14: perhaps from mot speck, mote 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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