motley Definition
mot·ley (mät′lē)
adjective
- of many colors or patches of color
- Rare wearing many-colored garments a motley fool
- having or composed of many different or clashing elements; heterogeneous a motley group
Etymology: ME mottley < ?
noun
- cloth of mixed colors
- Rare a garment of various colors, worn by a clown or jester
- Rare a fool or jester
- a combination of diverse or clashing elements
Motley Definition
Mot·ley (mät′lē)
Motley, John Lothrop (lō′t̸hrəp) 1814-77; U.S. historian & diplomat
motley Synonyms
motley
modif.
Varied
multiform, mixed, heterogeneous, ragged; see various.Varicolored
prismatic, mottled, kaleidoscopic; see bright 2, multicolored.
motley Usage Examples
Converse of object
leave: Wherefore, leaving the motley, I rest, Madam, Your faithful friend and servant.
Adjective modifier
full: The event really came into its own when in February 1967 Clown Smokey succeeded in gaining permission for Clowns to attend in full motley.
Modifies a noun
- crue: Yahoo is the next most popular, followed by a motley crue of no-hoper search engines I really wonder why people use.
- assortment: It was a medium sized room with a motley assortment of aging SGI and PC hardware lining the walls, all running Linux.
- crew: John surveys his motley crew with Chris at the wheel.
- bunch: A real star, which is more than you can say about the motley bunch in the foreground.
- crowd: This motley crowd of heavily armored devil worshipping freaks should be a match for anybody.
- collection: The freight rolling stock is a motley collection of vehicles of all types.
Modifying Another Word
- rather: All of these added up to a rather motley spectrum and to an ambivalent score.
- very: The Regimental History records A very motley crew they were, in every sort of civilian garment, not excluding bowler hats and shorts.
- somewhat: The force altogether was imposing, but at the same time of a somewhat motley character.
Browse dictionary entries near motley
- ‹ motivity
- ‹ motivic
- ‹ -motive
- ‹ motive power
- ‹ motive
- ‹ motivational research
- ‹ motivation
- ‹ motivate
- ‹ motionless
- ‹ motion to set aside
- motmot ›
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- motoneuron ›
- motor ›
- motor drive ›
- motor home ›
- motor hotel ›
- motor neuron ›
- motor pool ›
- motor scooter ›

