motley crew
/ˌmɑtli ˈkɹu/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.08 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A group of people of mixed background, especially one with a common goal.
Example Sentences
- "Away they marched from the rocky region and miserable village where they were posted, a motley crew of Christians and Infidels, Catholics, Greeks, and adorers of the Prophet, all mingled together, to go and attack the holy city, and compel the governor to come to their terms, and supply them with provisions."
- "The honest Indian scorns all these schemes, and is never found among the motley crew of Indian doctors. It is made up not of genuine Indians, but of negroes, mulattoes, and, meanest of all, some white men, who have stolen the Indian livery for their own unhallowed purposes."
- "Along the edge of this position lay the Arab host, a motley crew of shock-headed desert clansmen, fierce predatory slave-dealers of the interior, and wild dervishes from the Upper Nile, all blent together by their common fearlessness and fanaticism."
- "Spotless amid a motley crew / She passed the fiery ordeal through / Unhurt, begirt as with a fence / Of innocence."
- "No one responded to the offer. A little dirty-faced urchin, who looked unhappy and out of place with that motley crew, looked longingly at Ralph. […] "Hold on, mister, back up—I want to tell you something!""
- "Within days, [Gary] Schroen and a motley crew of paramilitary officers became the first Americans on the ground in Afghanistan, armed with little more than satellite phones – but also millions of dollars in cash to curry favour with potential allies."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌmɑtli ˈkɹu/
- British English: /ˌmɒtli ˈkɹuː/