CALICO Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

calico

adjective

Definition of calico

as in speckled

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of calico Meet Arista, a gorgeous calico girl with playful eyes and a soft demeanor, who was saved from attempting to survive alone on the streets. — Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for calico

Adjective

At least some of the time, Hawthorne really was warming the little speckled eggs from which his masterworks would hatch.

— Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Sometimes, these genetic acrobats would jump into the middle of a purple pigment gene and interfere with its function, producing a speckled cell.

— Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of speckled

Adjective

The viewpoint looks across Windermere and was once fitted with colored glass designed to make the scenery appear as though it were being viewed in different seasons.

— Alessia Armenise, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
Mailaender used different types of mirrors, geometric wall patterns, colored cork and linoleum, wavy steel and deliberately 1980s-style locker-room doors.

— Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of colored

Adjective

Lasagna, pot roasts, and casseroles can become rather enthusiastic while cooking, and if not tended to regularly, your oven glass could become streaked and stained.

— Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 3 June 2026
Varieties with streaked blooms or those spotted with darker colors add interest to arrangements.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2026

Definition of streaked

Adjective

These Pizza Hut classic locations include red roofs, checkered tablecloths, vinyl booths, arcade games and Tiffany-style lamps.

— Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
The colorful fixtures became one of the chain’s most recognizable design elements alongside the red roof, vinyl booths, red cups and checkered tablecloths.

— Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of checkered

Adjective

Propped up against them were colorful large-scale oil paintings of orbs floating against blurry color fields.

— Ryan Sullivan, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
In colorful illustrations that are just as energetic and immersive as the text, Aaron Marin pulls the whole adventure together.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of colorful

Adjective

In the Italian capital, Bulgari restored the Spanish Steps, the polychrome floor mosaics of the Baths of Caracalla and the marbles of the Torlonia Collection.

— Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 6 May 2026
Now, L'Occitane amenities and Nason Moretti glassware share space with polychrome wood ceilings that have watched over this corner of old Hispalis for 500 years.

— Ryan Craggs, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2026

Definition of polychrome

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“Calico.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calico. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of calico

adjective

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