Blotchy describes a surface covered with irregular patches or spots of different colors or textures, usually in an unappealing way. When your skin gets blotchy from crying or being out in the cold, you get uneven red and white patches across your face. A blotchy paint job on a wall shows streaks and uneven coverage where some spots are darker than others.

The word suggests something messy or imperfect rather than a neat, planned pattern. A dalmatian has spots, but they're attractive and distinctive. A blotchy complexion, by contrast, looks uneven and temporary. Your face might turn blotchy when you're embarrassed, angry, or after you've been running hard. Old photographs sometimes develop blotchy stains as the chemicals in the paper break down over time.

Artists worry about blotchy watercolors when the paint doesn't spread evenly. A printer running low on ink might produce blotchy pages. The word almost always suggests that something isn't quite right: the color or texture should be more uniform but isn't. When something is blotchy, you typically want to fix it or wait for it to go away.