motley
exhibiting great diversity of elements: a motley crowd.
being of different colors combined: a motley flower border.
wearing a parti-colored garment: a motley fool.
a combination of different colors.
a parti-colored effect.
the parti-colored garment of a jester.
a heterogeneous assemblage.
a medley.
Origin of motley
1Other words for motley
Opposites for motley
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Other definitions for Motley (2 of 2)
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. 2024
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.
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 PostThe 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 | ProPublicaNow, 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.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTWell, 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 | THE DAILY BEASTA 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 | THE DAILY BEASTThe motley crew cast participates in an illegal cross-country car race, while doing anything to win.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTThe 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. DunnSeldom has war brought together such a motley assemblage of races as gathered on the Ridge during the siege of Delhi.
The Red Year | Louis TracyThese little shops, which display at regular intervals their motley assortment of wares, fill me with delight.
Marguerite | Anatole FranceIt was a motley army, without uniforms, without banners and many without arms.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. DunnWhile 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
/ (ˈmɒtlɪ) /
made up of elements of varying type, quality, etc
multicoloured
a motley collection or mixture
the particoloured attire of a jester
obsolete a jester
Origin of motley
1Collins 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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