inkblot

noun

ink·​blot ˈiŋk-ˌblät How to pronounce inkblot (audio)
variants or ink blot or ink-blot
1
: a blot of ink
2
: any of several cards showing blots of ink for use in psychological testing
also : inkblot test

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The measure isn’t unlike the pain scale that doctors use to ask how patients feel, or the Rorschach inkblot that psychologists use to prompt subconscious feelings from their clients. Gabriela Riccardi, Quartz, 27 Dec. 2022 Artist David Thomas Smith created this image by making a mosaic of satellite images of China’s Three Gorges Dam and surroundings, creating a kind of remote-sensing inkblot. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 11 Feb. 2013 Bored joggers are looking at oil stains on cement like inkblot tests to keep their minds busy. Kevin Armstrong, WSJ, 5 Mar. 2021 Now another inkblot of feathers rose off the September sheet water, swirled for a moment as if gathering its wits, and streamed straight for the decoys. T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, 24 Sep. 2020 Critically, the brain remains intact after a primary blast injury, and the only potential sign of trauma is a faint inkblot of blood that may be spread across its surface. Rachel Lance, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2020 At a crossroads a gray—like a spreading inkblot—body. Joanne Turnbull, Harper's Magazine, 23 June 2020 For example, those are not, in fact, inkblot tests on the new menus. Nick Rallo, Dallas News, 11 June 2020 For now, there’s little more than inkblots to interpret. BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2019 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inkblot.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of inkblot was in 1703

Dictionary Entries Near inkblot

Cite this Entry

“Inkblot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inkblot. Accessed 25 Mar. 2023.

Medical Definition

inkblot

noun
ink·​blot ˈiŋk-ˌblät How to pronounce inkblot (audio)
: any of several plates showing blots of ink for use in psychological testing
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