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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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