mottled

adjective

mot·​tled ˈmä-tᵊld 

: marked with spots of different colors : having blotches of two or more colors

mottled tree bark

a mottled complexion

the bird's mottled plumage

A combination of red and blue pigments in the shell of a live lobster creates a mottled camouflage of indeterminate hue that blends in with the ocean floor.

—Kenneth Chang

Examples of mottled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Museum-caliber furniture and objects, major artworks from François Pinault’s personal collection, yards of colorful marble and bespoke, mottled carpeting add up to a sumptuous environment reminiscent of the home of a serious collector — and fiercely chic fashion plate. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 18 Nov. 2025

Inside the old asylum, plaster peeled from mottled walls and holes gaped in the ceiling. —Jen Rose Smith, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025

Water sluiced from its mottled gray skin, pooling across the weathered wood, and the tail thumped weakly against the planks with a hollow, wet slap. —Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

The foliage turns a pretty mottled reddish hue in fall. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mottled

• mottled enamel

Rhymes for mottled

• bottled
• throttled