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Synonyms

potty

1 American  
[pot-ee] / ˈpɒt i /

adjective

pottier, pottiest

  1. Chiefly British Informal. slightly insane; eccentric.

  2. British. paltry; trifling; petty.

potty 2 American  
[pot-ee] / ˈpɒt i /

noun

plural

potties

  1. a seat of reduced size fitting over a toilet seat, for use by a small child.

  2. a small metal pot fitting under a potty-chair.

  3. Baby Talk. a toilet.

potty 1 British  
/ ˈpɒtɪ /

adjective

  1. foolish or slightly crazy

  2. trivial or insignificant

  3. very keen (about)

"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
potty 2 British  
/ ˈpɒtɪ /

noun

  1. a child's word for chamber pot

"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

Other Word Forms

  • pottiness noun

Etymology

Origin of potty1

First recorded in 1855–60; pot 1 + -y 1

Origin of potty2

First recorded in 1840–50; pot 1 + -y 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the Palisade Calligraphy, the miles seem shorter even as the time between potty breaks grows longer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

This process was clearly going to involve more than potty training—although that proved harder than I expected, too.

From Slate • Sep. 4, 2025

Most of those with it do not go through traditional development milestones like crawling, eating, walking, speaking or potty training.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2025

The Inverness Courier has reported a potty and carpet were found during road work earlier this month.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2025

They don't hypnotize you with bright objects and repeat the same words over and over, handing out little treats when you finally say "potty" or "wawa."

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.