motley

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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, moton, motoneuron

Other definitions 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.

How to use motley in a sentence

My jacket is from Old Navy, and sweaters from a motley of stores I don’t care about.
Opinion | Being Isabel|Isaac Amend|June 14, 2021|Washington Blade
Klagsbrun’s assemblages are motley and ramshackle, and yet vital.
In the galleries: A heightened homage to trees and what they can teach us|Mark Jenkins|May 7, 2021|Washington Post
The Post led the charge into federal court, welcoming a motley crew.
To Hold the Government Accountable, We Need to Know What It’s Doing. That’s Why We’re Tracking PPP Data.|by Jeremy Kutner|March 12, 2021|ProPublica
Now, it’s all up to a motley crew of players to plan out how to actually get these things to people like doctors and nurses in the safest way possible.
How a molecule gets to the masses|Sy Mukherjee|December 17, 2020|Fortune

Ultimately conquering the coronavirus pandemic will likely require a motley crew of vaccines which use different technologies.
The science behind the leading COVID vaccines will lead to faster manufacturing|Sy Mukherjee|December 5, 2020|Fortune
A motley crew of former sailors led by Commodore Joshua Barney mounted the only real resistance to the British.
The Presidential Hopeful Obsessed With the War of 1812|Ben Jacobs|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Well, it was based on an amalgam of bands—Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Motley Crue, Judas Priest, and Van Halen.
Rob Reiner on the State of Romcoms, ‘The Princess Bride’s’ Alternate Ending, and the Red Viper|Marlow Stern|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A motley crew, to be sure: Islamic states, sub-Saharan Africa, China.
At the United Nations, It’s Human Rights, Putin-Style|Jay Michaelson|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The motley crew cast participates in an illegal cross-country car race, while doing anything to win.
10 Greatest Road Trip Movies|Marina Watts|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Vampire Weekend, “Giving up the Gun” The ultimate motley crew: Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Jonas, Daft Punk, Lil Jon and RZA.
Andrew Garfield in ‘We Exist’ and More Celebrities in Music Videos|Marina Watts|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The proclamation was posted on the door of the court house and soon a motley crowd gathered around to read it.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
Seldom has war brought together such a motley assemblage of races as gathered on the Ridge during the siege of Delhi.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
These little shops, which display at regular intervals their motley assortment of wares, fill me with delight.
Marguerite|Anatole France
It was a motley army, without uniforms, without banners and many without arms.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
While waiting for the performance to begin, the motley troop encamps on the grass near the theatre.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky

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

motley

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Origin of motley

Words nearby motley

Other definitions for motley (2 of 2)

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How to use motley in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for motley

Word Origin for motley