MOTES Synonyms: 99 Similar and Opposite Words

motes

noun

plural of mote

as in specks

a very small piece there's not a mote of dirt in that woman's house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 motes Tiny bugs float in the sun like dust motes, and there are graceful flies large enough to require a runway landing. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 4 May 2026 Sunbeams through the windows illuminate floating dust motes—and, imperceptibly, microdroplets of mucus carrying the measles virus, expelled from an infected but asymptomatic child who is hopping and laughing among the others. — Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026 Easily swept up by wind and carried long distances by water, these tiny motes are also exceedingly difficult to detect and almost impossible to remove from the environment. — K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2026 There’s a Gambit-adjacent one that has players depositing motes while killing other teams. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025 The sensors’ small size allows seamless integration into almost any environment, while the wireless, modular design lets motes be added or removed as needed depending on the application. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2025 Powering and recording signals from multiple motes will require new techniques and better signal processing. — Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Oct. 2016

Recent Examples of Synonyms for motes

Noun

Calcium shows up as bright white specks on the coronary artery images.

— Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026
Pulse a few times, until crumbs range in size from specks to peas.

— Leah Eskin, Midwest Living, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of specks

Noun

The optics are also described as being resistant to fast-moving fluids and particles, as well as to many chemicals.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
But those procedures can also send plastic particles down the drain — waste that South Florida’s wastewater systems aren’t designed to catch.

— Laurie Mermet, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of particles

Noun

Some kits include stone-like chips or flecks to scatter over the surface of the wet paint for a realistic effect.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2026
Hundreds of flecks of sequins caught the light as Jenner made her way down the red carpet, glittering from every angle.

— Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of flecks

Noun

This produces dense, void-free films with larger crystal grains.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026
Lower yields and harvesting can be challenging Pilot programs involving perennial grains are in the works around the world, testing how to grow them in different regions, climates and soils, but the research is early and slow-moving.

— Joshua A. Bickel, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of grains

Noun

As the weather cools and pool parties and cookouts are traded for football tailgates and pumpkin patches, why not add a concert to the mix?

— DeAsia Paige, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026
After Swift appeared with Fazit’s Gold Speckles makeup patches decorating her cheeks, the brand reported a 3,500 percent increase in direct-to-consumer sales.

— Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of patches

Noun

The resulting signals contain information about the structure of molecules, allowing researchers to distinguish between different substances.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
In this event, the antibodies can grab onto molecules dangling off the outside of the egg as well as molecules secreted by the egg.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of molecules

Noun

Production disruptions and weak output in Chile, the world’s biggest producer, sent prices to record highs, with the US accumulating huge stockpiles and smelters in China forced to turn to scraps to meet that country’s industrial needs.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
His team, which had just gruelingly removed passengers stuck between scraps of metal and glass, turned its attention to another deadly disaster Tuesday night.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of scraps

Browse Nearby Words

motels

motes

motet

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Motes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motes. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of motes

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compendious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes