as in blotch
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part
canvases covered with streaks and mottles
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mottle
New Atlas, 23 Jan. 2026
As branching coral look-alikes, the cuttlefish splayed out their arms and displayed dark mottles to blend in with staghorn coral.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2025
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
The air rang with random alarms; the soft surfaces were mottled with mystery stains.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mottle
Noun
Turn the mottle of ideas in your head into coherent communicable paragraphs.
—New Atlas, 23 Jan. 2026
As branching coral look-alikes, the cuttlefish splayed out their arms and displayed dark mottles to blend in with staghorn coral.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2025
Verb
The foliage is typically mottled with silvery or light green variegation.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
The air rang with random alarms; the soft surfaces were mottled with mystery stains.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mottle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mottle
Noun
-
Pine snakes can grow up to 56 inches in length, have black, brown, and russet scales with dark blotches along their backs, and are noted for having a pointed nose, which experts believe may help with burrowing.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
12 June 2026
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Inadequate iron causes young leaves to appear yellow with green veins, while magnesium deficiency causes blotches or spots on older leaves.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Solo travelers were abundant, though most travelers were couples, with a few families sprinkled in too.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
-
The event featured game-play and events sprinkled throughout the city and partnerships with the White Sox, the Field Museum and the Lincoln Park Zoo.—
Felicity Abbott,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Noun
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But flecks of green were visible throughout the stadium as Algeria fans made their presence known as well.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
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There are also flecks of red embedded throughout the pattern.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Few sites, however, became such frequent battlegrounds as the parking lots of Home Depots, where day laborers congregate, or were hit as persistently and severely as the open air car washes that dot sunny Southern California.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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Lighthouses Ten lighthouses, some still in service (and one in ruins), dot the Apostle Islands.—
Robert Annis,
Midwest Living,
14 June 2026
Noun
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Fans are still aghast that Destiny 2 has reached the end of service, with the game not just wrapping up its content updates but also any level of support, with no more balance patches or even hotfixes to come, aside from one or two urgent ones.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
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At the time, certain teams wore BLM patches and stenciled the BLM logo onto the pitcher’s mounds.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
19 June 2026
Verb
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No public executions stained the squares.—
Adam Kirsch,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2026
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In another video published by B’Tselem capturing the moments after the incident, Sam’s father can be seen standing by the car, cradling his baby, whose bright yellow clothing can be seen stained with blood.—
Sarah Dean,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
The machine-like efficiency is terrifying, right up until a single speck of dirt falls into the gears.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
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This looks like tiny black or reddish-brown specks that resemble coffee grounds.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Turner and his 11-year-old son Brooks would go out and pepper Caskey with shot after shot.—
Steve Gorches,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2026
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Most of the match was played in Saudi Arabia’s half of the field during the second half, as the Uruguayan attackers peppered Saudi Arabia’s defense with shots.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mottle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mottle. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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