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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of dappled
Anthony Wood, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Nylons, silk shorts, and a dappled gray blazer completed my look.
—Junnelle Hogen, Outside, 19 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Dried blood dappled his face, neck and bedsheets.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dappled
Adjective
Our next shot is a wide-field view of the world-famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, lit in gold with the light of the full moon shining from behind a delicate formation of dappled clouds, as captured on the night of Nov. 5 by photographer Thibaud Moritz.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Nylons, silk shorts, and a dappled gray blazer completed my look.
—Junnelle Hogen, Outside, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
His skeleton is well preserved, his bones dappled with gooey-looking sediment.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Dried blood dappled his face, neck and bedsheets.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dappled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dappled
Adjective
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Guests will be interested in the artwork, which showcases the building, its inhabitants, and its surroundings throughout the years, and can be found dotted throughout the property.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
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On the contrary, large parts of the globe are quite densely dotted with seismic sensors designed to detect earthquakes, and those measurements are mostly openly available online.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Sparkling Orange Nº1, a low-intervention, organic orange (orange colored due to skin contact, no oranges used) bubbly from Alsace that pops with orange peel and juicy peach, then drifts into jasmine, herbs, and gentle spice.—
Lanee Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Run the cycle again, warm for colored towels and hot for white towels.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Their names are sprinkled throughout the documents — even after heavy redactions.—
Daniel Wine,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Several references about Louisville, where the author briefly lived, are sprinkled throughout the classic tale.—
Kirby Adams,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Soon, the beams should form a colorful, geometric structure.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The first modern Mardi Gras took place in New Orleans in 1827 when a group of students danced through the streets in colorful costumes, and the first parade took place a decade later.—
Alex Driggars,
Austin American Statesman,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rounds of roasted purple sweet potatoes arrive mounded with a mixture of salsa macha and butter, and liberally flecked with chives.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
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Outside, a man wearing a leather biker vest bearing the insignia of the Latin American Motorcycle Association, his blond beard flecked with ice crystals, directed a line of cars through the snow.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In short, the spotted lanternfly is a moth-like bug that's not supposed to be in the U.S.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
8 Jan. 2026
-
This photo, made with a remote camera and provided by the University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center, shows a spotted jaguar in southern Arizona, Nov. 2025.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The liquid stained Omar's clothes and may have reached her eye.—
Aki Nace,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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In testing on human teeth that were artificially stained with tea and coffee, the researchers found that a total of four hours of brushing showed visible whitening, while 12 total hours of brushing led to teeth that were nearly 50% whiter than those in a control group.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This option is hand-bound in Italy with marbled paper and leather accents.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
21 Jan. 2026
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Katayanagi protégé Hiroshi Morito will helm the $350 menu of exceptionally marbled Tajimaguro wagyu in dishes like katsu sando, a taco course and traditional sukiyaki.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dappled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dappled. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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