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Showing results for motley. Search instead for motey.
Synonyms

motley

1 American  
[mot-lee] / ˈmɒt li /

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

motleys

  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 American  
[mot-lee] / ˈmɒt li /

noun

  1. John Lothrop 1814–77, U.S. historian and diplomat.

motley British  
/ ˈmɒtlɪ /

adjective

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

  2. multicoloured

"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

noun

  1. a motley collection or mixture

  2. the particoloured attire of a jester

  3. obsolete a jester

"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

Etymology

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 mote 1. See -ly ( def. )

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.

The musicians are part of a motley crew of public figures and aid groups descending on the island by air and sea this week with medicine, water, food, solar panels and other supplies.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

José María Zuloaga gathers a motley outfit of army irregulars—it includes released Native American prisoners and a sharpshooting nun—to pursue the captive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

History, by this model, offers motley warnings, reality-checks and sober inspirations for the work ahead in place of a master narrative.

From Salon • Jan. 3, 2026

It’s home to a motley crew of 400 ducks, geese and chickens, including a hybrid goose that belongs to one of the world’s rarest populations of geese, the Hawaiian Nene.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2024

He wore a peaked cap with jingling bells and a suit of motley.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

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.