variants
also dapple
1
as in dotted
marked with spots
a dappled fawn
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in colored
having blotches of two or more colors
a forest that was vibrant with the dappled foliage of autumn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sprinkled
to mark with small spots especially unevenly
sunlight dappled the canopy of vines over our heads
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dappled
Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Knead Wine One of the newer additions to the dining scene, Tremolo Bar serves small plates both indoors and out on a light-dappled patio.
—Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025
Rick Jervis, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025
The stage, covered in a crumbling cityscape and backed by a massive screen, sat next to a cross-shaped catwalk on the stadium floor dappled with giant golden rings.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dappled
Adjective
North from Florence, the roads twist through rolling hills and ancient villages, past rippling streams and the dappled shade from oak trees.
—Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Knead Wine One of the newer additions to the dining scene, Tremolo Bar serves small plates both indoors and out on a light-dappled patio.
—Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025
Verb
Dried blood dappled his face, neck and bedsheets.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025
The stage, covered in a crumbling cityscape and backed by a massive screen, sat next to a cross-shaped catwalk on the stadium floor dappled with giant golden rings.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dappled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dappled
Adjective
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However, satellite and supporting video filmed from a high rise on Al Rashid, a major road that runs through Gaza, shows tent camps remain dotted along the coastal road south of Gaza's port.—
Camilla Alcini,
ABC News,
17 Sep. 2025
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Salesforce contract renewals often become routine exercises—reviewing user counts, negotiating minor discounts and signing on the dotted line.—
Buyan Thyagarajan,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Brightly colored berries are another strategy that plants have devised to disperse their seeds.—
Markis Hill,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
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Well … are the requests for construction paper and colored pencils?—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These pastries are made from laminated dough, rolled thin, sprinkled with sugar and baked until crisp, golden and flaky.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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In 1903 and from 1905 through 1968, baseball’s World Series matched two pennant winners; teams went directly from winning the AL or NL to the championship best-of-seven (with a few best-of-nines sprinkled in).—
Zach Powell,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Go with the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat Nail Polish at under $10 for some pink iridescence or the Nails Inc Mirror Chrome Silver Served High Shine Metallic Nail Polish at $8 for a silver-flecked finish.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
26 Sep. 2025
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For an eco-friendly option, check out EcoBirdy, a kids’ furniture company that creates its wares out of ecothylene—a patented material made from upcycled plastic toys that lends each piece a flecked pattern.—
Leonora Epstein,
Architectural Digest,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Until Saturday, Scott — accustomed to wearing prison blue — had two shirts and two pairs of pants, but Sanders took him to Ross Dress for Less for some colorful, new clothes.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
30 Sep. 2025
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The lunar event will appear brighter and more colorful than most full moons, offering several nights of striking views just after sunset.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Replace the stained, ripped, and pilling linens with crisp sets to refresh your bedding and ditch or repurpose the miscellaneous ones in your linen cabinet too.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
28 Sep. 2025
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In his third season in Boulder, coach Deion Sanders continues to lament an issue that ruined his first season and stained his second.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The whole rug needs to get wet or colors in the fiber could migrate and result in a blotched look.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2025
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Its leaves are deciduous and sometimes white-blotched.—
Howard Garrett,
Dallas News,
16 Aug. 2021
Verb
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Gerwig, 42, returned to Venice in a black dress with a sheer black overlay speckled with glittering flowers.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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That’s because very ripe bananas—which are speckled with brown spots or even completely brown—are naturally sweeter than their green or yellow counterparts.—
Heather Riske,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dappled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dappled. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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