as in blotch
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part a tie having eyespots of blue on a light gray background

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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 eyespot The team observed laser emissions in two distinct wavelengths for all color regions of the feathers' eyespots, with the green color regions emitting the most intense laser light. Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2025 The great argus is an at-risk species with an elaborate pattern of eyespots on its tail feathers, according to Thai National Parks. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 14 May 2025 Peacock butterflies are distinguished by a series of striking eyespots on their wings, which serve to threaten or confuse potential predators. Michael Franco, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2024 But why did some lineages evolve shell eyes rather than eyespots? Quanta Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 First, red eyespots appear; then the amorphous bodies coalesce and darken into their ferocious adult forms. Nala Rogers, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023 Their long hindwing tails and eyespots combine to give them a look resembling an elephant’s face. Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2023 The 30-centimeter-long adult grows out of a larva that is little more than a sesame seed–size blob with an eyespot at one end and a band of cilia around its body. Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 17 Jan. 2023 First, Rowland and her co-author trained chicks to attack a mealworm hidden behind a paper printout of two eyespots at the end of a runway. Maddie Bender, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eyespot
Noun
  • This fungal disease appears as gray blotches on the bark, eventually developing into sunken cankers.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The belly is tan or gray with dark blotches.
    Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Sticky snow covered the branches, along with occasional yellow dots of llao llao, an edible fungus native to the region.
    Scott Yorko, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
  • But still, connecting the dots was difficult.
    Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Every splash of rain, speck of dust, or pinprick of light could mar the negative.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
  • On our table are a plate of thin-sliced speck, ham, and cheese, a dish with curls of homemade butter that look like tiny beehives, two pots of homemade strawberry and apricot jam, and a jar of golden honey from the farm bees.
    R29 Team, Refinery29, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Fall is in full swing, and that means now is the time to seek out autumnal experiences like leaf peeping and pumpkin patch wandering.
    Opheli Garcia Lawler, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Don’t forget to check out Prime Day deals on Amazon’s bestselling beauty products, like the $7 Tree Hut Vanilla Shea Sugar Scrub and these 38% off under-eye patches for dark circles, puffiness, and more.
    Katrina Cossey, Parents, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • One blink, and it was gone again, just another fleck in the mulch.
    Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Yes, these flecks are seeds that were once inside of a vanilla bean, confirms Britton.
    Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Eyespot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eyespot. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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