Word · CEFR C1 · Frequency #18743
motliest
混杂的；五花八门的
motliest is the superlative of motley.
made up of many different elements that do not seem to belong together
- 1.
Comprising greatly varied elements, to the point of incongruity.
由极为不同的元素组成的
- 2.
Having many colours; variegated.
多色的；色彩斑斓的
多色的；色彩斑斓的；由极为不同的元素组成的；杂色的；穿杂色衣的；杂乱的
In use
The charity shop sells a motley assortment of donated goods, from old books to kitchen gadgets.
The guests at the party were motley, ranging from university students to elderly neighbors.
The old attic held a motley pile of furniture, including a broken clock, a rocking chair, and a stack of dusty records.
Connections
Collocations
- a motley crew
- 一群五花八门的人（常指不搭调的组合）
- The festival was organised by a motley crew of volunteers from different backgrounds.这个节日由一群来自不同背景、五花八门的志愿者组织起来。
- a motley collection
- 杂七杂八的收藏品；一堆杂乱的东西
- His desk was covered with a motley collection of old pens, coins and paper clips.他的书桌上堆满了旧笔、硬币和回形针等杂七杂八的东西。
- a motley assortment
- 五花八门的混合体
- The shop sells a motley assortment of second-hand furniture and vintage clothes.这家店出售五花八门的二手家具和古着衣物。
- motley colours
- 杂色；色彩斑驳的颜色
- The clown's motley colours made him easy to spot in the crowd.小丑那身斑驳的颜色使他在人群中很容易被认出来。
- a motley group
- 混杂的群体
- A motley group of tourists gathered around the guide at the entrance.
Learner notes
Memory Tip
motley 像“模特李”：T台上混穿五颜六色、风格迥异的衣服，既多彩又杂乱。记住“混杂+多色”。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：文学描写、正式评论、历史叙述 该词通常用于正式或文学性写作，口语中较少见。表示“混杂的、五花八门的”时，多形容人群或事物组合的杂乱多样；表示“多色的”则偏古雅，日常表达更常用“colorful”。
Grammar Note
通常用作定语，修饰复数名词，如a motley crew
Pronunciation & Spelling
真正押韵的是 hotly（/ˈhɑtli/），其重读元音 /ɑ/ 与后面的 /tli/ 和 motley 相同。mostly（/ˈmoʊstli/）拼写相近，但读 /oʊ/ 和 /stl/；mottled（/ˈmɑtəld/）、motive（/ˈmoʊtɪv/）、motto（/ˈmɑtoʊ/）以 mot 开头，但元音或结尾不同。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 1，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, OCTANOVE, WIKTIONARY, WORDNET.