motley

¹

[ mot-lee ]

adjective

1. exhibiting great diversity of elements:

   a motley crowd.

   Synonyms: divergent, dissimilar, diversified, disparate, incongruous, sundry, assorted, mixed, diverse, varied, heterogenous

   Antonyms: like, similar, identical, uniform, homogeneous

2. being of different colors combined:

   a motley flower border.

   Synonyms: polychromatic, variegated, multicolored, parti-colored, dappled, mottled, piebald, pied

   Antonyms: solid, monochromatic

3. wearing a parti-colored garment:

   a motley fool.

noun

, plural mot·leys.

1. a combination of different colors.
2. a parti-colored effect.
3. the parti-colored garment of a jester.
4. a heterogeneous assemblage.
5. a medley.

   Synonyms: miscellany, jumble, hodgepodge, conglomeration, farrago, gallimaufry, pastiche, potpourri, olio

Motley

²

[ mot-lee ]

noun

1. John Lo·throp [loh, -thr, uh, p], 1814–77, U.S. historian and diplomat.

motley

/ ˈmɒtlɪ /

adjective

1. made up of elements of varying type, quality, etc
2. multicoloured

noun

1. a motley collection or mixture
2. the particoloured attire of a jester
3. obsolete.
   a jester

Word History and Origins

Origin of motley¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English motele, motlay, mottelay “mixture of colors, variegated; a parti-colored garment”; of uncertain origin; perhaps akin to mote ¹. See -ly ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of motley¹

C14: perhaps from mot speck, mote ¹

Example Sentences

It was such a weird, motley crew of people — Jersey Shore-type guys.”

From Los Angeles Times

City Councilmember José Huizar began serving his 13-year prison sentence on Monday for his role in a motley array of corruption and bribery schemes that shattered public faith in City Hall.

From Los Angeles Times

At least not compared to volumes he’d read by his rock n’ roll idols, for example, Mötley Crüe’s debauchery-packed “The Dirt.”

From Los Angeles Times

Alongside a cast that included Jane Fonda, Walter Matthau, Michael Caine, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor and Alan Alda, Smith earned her second Academy Award playing Oscar-loser Diana Barrie, who finds herself among a motley crew of guests staying at a Beverly Hills hotel in Neil Simon’s 1978 “California Suite.”

From Los Angeles Times

Furlan, wife of Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, posted Ring camera video that shows a coyote running into her yard at around 1 p.m., attacking her two dogs and grabbing her dachshund, Neena, from beside the pool.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• disparate
• kaleidoscopic