motley
English · Thesaurus
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motley¹
- /ˈmɒtli/ UK
- /ˈmɑtli/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English motle, from Anglo-Norman motteley (“parti-colored”), from Old English mot (“speck”). Doublet of mote. The English word can be analysed as mottle + -y.
adjective more motley · motlier · motleyer · most motley · motliest · motleyest
-
Comprising greatly varied elements, to the point of incongruity.
I met a fool i' th' forest, / A motley' fool.
Similar: heterogeneous, diverse, manifold, catholic, dishomogeneous, diversified, eclectic, liberal, miscellaneous, mixed, motley, multifarious
-
Having many colours; variegated.
Similar: colorful, prismatic, variegated, aurora-colored (US) / aurora-coloured, colorful (US) / colourful, colorific, discolored [⇒ thesaurus] (US, obsolete) / discoloured, kaleidoscopic, many-coloured, motley, multichromatic
noun motleys
- An incongruous mixture.
- A jester's multicoloured clothes.
- A jester; a fool. Wil you be married, Motley?
verb motleys · motleying · motleyed
- To give something a patchwork appearance.
- To make something multicolored, variegated, or diverse in character.
Motley²
proper noun Motleys
- A surname.
- A city in Morrison County and Cass County, Minnesota, United States.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: assorted, miscellaneous, miscellany, miscellanea, potpourri, heterogeneous, mixture, variety, assortment, variegate, vary, sundry, mixed, varicolored, colorful, multicolored
Translations
Every language
adj comprising greatly varied elements
| Español | heterogéneo, variopinto, variado, abigarrado |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ごちゃ混ぜの gochamaze no, 寄せ集めの yoseatsume no |
| Português | misto |
| Français | hétéroclite |
| Deutsch | zusammengewürfelt, bunt zusammengeworfen, vielfältig, verschiedenartig, divers, heterogen |
| Italiano | variegato, eterogeneo |
| Ελληνικά | ετερόκλητος eteróklitos, ανομοιόμορφος anomoiómorfos |
| Română | pestriț, variat, felurit |
| Русский | разношёрстный raznošórstnyj |
adj having many colours; variegated
| Español | abigarrado |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 雑色の zasshoku no |
| 中文 | 五顏六色 /五颜六色 wǔyánliùsè |
| Português | variegado |
| Français | bigarré |
| Deutsch | bunt, vielfarbig, buntgefleckt, buntgemustert, buntgescheckt, kunterbunt |
| Italiano | multicolore, variegato |
| Ελληνικά | πολύχρωμος polýchromos |
| Română | pestriț, vărgat, multicolor |
| Русский | разноцве́тный raznocvétnyj, пёстрый pjóstryj |
noun incongruous mixture
| Español | mezcolanza, batiburrillo, abigarramiento, mescolanza |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ごちゃ混ぜ gochamaze, 寄せ集め yoseatsume |
| Deutsch | Mischmasch |
| Română | amestecătură |
| Русский | пестрота pestrota, мешани́на mešanína |
Talk about this word "motley." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/motley. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. motley. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/motley "motley." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/motley.Cite this
@misc{motley_2026,
title = {motley},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/motley},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
