They're a motley crew.
Source: tatoeba (1518482)
Motley
//ˈmɒtli//
Synonyms for "motley" (366 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (74)
assortmentcolorfuldiversemiscellaneousparti coloramalgamatedambiguousambivalentamphibiousassortedat oddsat varianceballet skirtbandbarbespanglebespecklebespotbicolorbicolored
Show 42 more words
bladderblendedblotchbuffobuffoonbuskincalicocap and bellscapriciouschangeablechangingcheckcheckerchoppychromaticcloudedclowncoldcolluviescolorificcoloringcolorycolumbinecombinedcomedycomplexcompositecompoundcompoundedconfusedconglomeratecontrarycontrastedcontrastingcoolcostumecoxcombcrazydaedaldappledappleddeparting
Noun(4 words)
Strong matches (109)
deviatingdeviativedeviatorydichromaticdifferentdifferentiateddifferingdisaccordantdisagreeingdiscolordiscordantdiscrepantdiscretediscriminateddisguisedisjoineddisorderlydisparatedissimilardissonant
Show 65 more words
distinctdistinguisheddivaricatedivergentdivergingdiversdivers-coloreddiversifieddiversiformdoteclecticequivocaleroseerraticfifty-fiftyflakefleckfoolfrecklegallimaufrygetupglowinghalf-and-halfhanswurstharlequinharmoniousheterogeneoushodgepodgeidiotimpulsivein disagreementinaccordantincompatibleincongruousinconsistentinconsonantinconstantindiscriminateinharmoniousintricateirisironicirreconcilableirregularjack-puddingjaggedjerkyjesterjumblejumbledkaleidoscopicmaculatemanymany sidedmany-coloredmany-sidedmarblemarbledmarbleizemasqueradematchingmedleymercurialmerry-andrewmingled
Adjective(12 words)
Noun(11 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Related words (183)
mixedmonochromaticmonochromemonochromicmotley foolmottlemottledmulti colouredmulticolormulticoloredmulticolorousmultifacetedmultifariousmultihuedmultinationalmultiracialmutablenonconformistnonstandardnonuniform
Show 106 more words
odds and endsomnium-gatherumoutfitpantalonepantaloonparti-colorparti-coloredpastichepatchypepperpepper-and-saltpickle-herringpiebaldpiedpigmentarypintopluralisticpoles apartpoles asunderpolichinellepolychromaticpolychromepolychromicpolychromizeprismalprismaticpromiscuouspulcinellapunchpunchinelloraggedrainbowrigroughsaladscaramouchscrambledseparateseparatedseveralshotshot throughskewbaldslapsticksockspanglespasmodicspeckspecklespectralsplotchsporadicspotspottysprinklestigmatizestipplestreakstriatestripestudsyncretictattootessellatethrown togetherthunder and lightningtightstinctorialtingenttoningtrichromatictrichromictricolortricoloredtututwo-toneunconformableuncongenialunequableunequalunevenunlikeunorthodoxunsortedunstableunsteadyunsystematicununiformvariablevariantvaricoloredvariedvariegatevariegatedvariformvariousvaryvaryingveinversicolorversicoloredwarmwaveringwidely apartworlds apartzany
Adjective(25 words)
mixedmultichromaticmulticolor (us) / multicolourmulticolored (us) / multicolouredmulticolorousmultifariousmultifoldmultihuedobsolete) / discolouredparticolored (us) / particolouredpolychromatepolychromaticpolychromedpolyhuedprismaticragtagrainbowrainbow-coloredrainbow-colored (us) / rainbow-colouredsundry
Show 5 more words
Adjective(17 words)
Noun(12 words)
Verb(3 words)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
18 entriesShowing 16 of 18 words.
Synonyms
6 entriesRelated terms
1 entriesderived
5 entriesetymologically related_to
1 entriesis a
2 entriesmanner of
1 entriesrelated to
17 entriesShowing 16 of 17 words.
similar
6 entriesTranslations
85 translations across 21 languages.
Armenian
1 entries- խայտաբղետ adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
Bashkir
1 entries- сыбар adj (having many colours; variegated)
Bulgarian
4 entries- пъстър adj (having many colours; variegated)
- разнороден adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- шарен adj (having many colours; variegated)
- сбирщина verb (incongruous mixture)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 五顏六色 /五颜六色 adj (having many colours; variegated)
Czech
4 entries- nesourodý adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- pestrý adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- pestrý adj (having many colours; variegated)
- různobarevný adj (having many colours; variegated)
Dutch
4 entries- bont adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- bont adj (having many colours; variegated)
- geschakeerd adj (having many colours; variegated)
- samengeraapt adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
Finnish
4 entries- kirjava adj (having many colours; variegated)
- sekalainen adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- sekamelska verb (incongruous mixture)
- sekasotku verb (incongruous mixture)
French
2 entries- bigarré adj (having many colours; variegated)
- hétéroclite adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
German
4 entries- bunt adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- bunt adj (having many colours; variegated)
- bunt zusammengeworfen adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- buntgefleckt adj (having many colours; variegated)
Greek
3 entries- ανομοιόμορφος adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- ετερόκλητος adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- πολύχρωμος adj (having many colours; variegated)
Italian
4 entries- eterogeneo adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- multicolore adj (having many colours; variegated)
- variegato adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- variegato adj (having many colours; variegated)
Japanese
4 entries- ごちゃ混ぜの adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- 寄せ集めの adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- 雑色の adj (having many colours; variegated)
- ごちゃ混ぜ verb (incongruous mixture)
Lithuanian
1 entries- margas adj (having many colours; variegated)
Macedonian
4 entries- разно́боен adj (having many colours; variegated)
- разно́роден adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- ша́рен adj (having many colours; variegated)
- зби́рштина verb (incongruous mixture)
Persian
3 entries- آمیخته adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- رنگارنگ adj (having many colours; variegated)
- ناهمگون verb (incongruous mixture)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- bunt adj (having many colours; variegated)
Portuguese
2 entries- misto adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- variegado adj (having many colours; variegated)
Romanian
4 entries- felurit adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- multicolor adj (having many colours; variegated)
- pestriț adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- pestriț adj (having many colours; variegated)
Russian
4 entries- пёстрый adj (having many colours; variegated)
- разноцве́тный adj (having many colours; variegated)
- разношёрстный adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- мешани́на verb (incongruous mixture)
Spanish
4 entries- abigarrado adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- abigarrado adj (having many colours; variegated)
- heterogéneo adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- variado adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
Swedish
2 entries- brokig adj (comprising greatly varied elements)
- brokig adj (having many colours; variegated)
Sample sentences
9 total sentences available.
The park is home to a motley group of amphibians, a raft of different tree species, a dozen beehives and—grazing placidly in the distance—a flock of Brittany sheep, practicing ‘ecological management.’
Source: tatoeba (8705930)
A motley crew of educators and students gathered at the seminar.
Source: tatoeba (8926385)
At the centre of the council estate was a green surrounded by a motley collection of small, tired and tatty-looking shops, half of which were empty, their windows boarded up.
Source: tatoeba (12463638)
Showing 4 of 9 available sentences.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.