motley (n.)

  1. a collection containing a variety of sorts of things; a great assortment of cars was on display; he had a variety of disorders; a veritable smorgasbord of religions

    [ Syn: assortment , mixture , mixed bag , miscellany , miscellanea , variety , salmagundi , smorgasbord , potpourri ]

  2. a garment made of motley (especially a court jester's costume)

  3. a multicolored woolen fabric woven of mixed threads in 14th to 17th century England

    motley (adj.)

  1. consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds; an arrangement of assorted spring flowers; assorted sizes; miscellaneous accessories; a mixed program of baroque and contemporary music; a motley crew; sundry sciences commonly known as social- I.A.Richards

    [ Syn: assorted , miscellaneous , mixed , sundry ]

  2. having sections or patches colored differently and usually brightly; a jester dressed in motley; the painted desert; a particolored dress; a piebald horse; pied daisies

    [ Syn: calico , multicolor , multi-color , multicolour , multi-colour , multicolored , multi-colored , multicoloured , multi-coloured , painted , particolored , particoloured , piebald , pied , varicolored , varicoloured ]

    motley (v.)

  1. make something more diverse and varied; Vary the menu

    [ Syn: vary , variegate ]

  2. make motley; color with different colors

    [ Syn: parti-color ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.