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

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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 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

The source was generally in good condition, but mold spots and dense clusters of small white specks required careful treatment.

— Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Breakouts can look like milder, painless white bumps or dark specks known as whiteheads and blackheads, or more painful red bumps and deeper cysts — a mark of cystic acne.

— Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of specks

Noun

If there are 1023 particles interfering with one another on such tiny and fast quantum scales, no human has a chance to see constructive quantum interference.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
The simulations use particles to trace dark matter’s density and velocity, allowing scientists to model how cosmic structures evolved.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of particles

Noun

The oversized jacket featured a furry white base adorned with flecks of silver, which beautifully mirrored the sumptuous coats on the runway.

— Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026
Add the torn basil and process just until incorporated -- there will be flecks of green in the mixture.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of flecks

Noun

As plastic in the body breaks down into smaller and smaller bits — known as microplastics and nanoplastics — the potential danger increases, said Wei Min, a Columbia University chemist who co-authored the study.

— Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
If successful, bits of dust, soil and rocks from Phobos will arrive on Earth in 2031.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of bits

Noun

Others contained iron, calcium, and silicon arranged in clusters of separate grains.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
This uses distinct propellant grains that are arranged sequentially inside the motor casing and separated into two or more independent chambers.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of grains

Noun

The researchers grew the common research plant Arabidopsis thaliana in containers, some of which were dotted with patches of rotting apple.

— Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2026
Hormone replacement therapy can be delivered in a number of ways, including options like pills, patches, sprays or gels, or a vaginal ring that can deliver doses of hormones directly into the bloodstream.

— Kerry Breen, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of patches

Noun

In 1999 a group led by Austrian physicist Anton Zeilinger confirmed that fullerenes, large molecules consisting of 60 carbon atoms, behave just the same.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Under alkaline conditions, splitting water molecules takes over 100 times longer than in acidic environments.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of molecules

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motels

motes

motet

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“Motes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motes. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of motes

noun

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