mottle 1 of 2

as in blotch
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part canvases covered with streaks and mottles

Synonyms & Similar Words

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mottle

2 of 2

verb

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 mottle
Noun
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 Remember to continue your daily sunscreen use to stave off more mottle. Katie Becker, Harper's BAZAAR, 5 Oct. 2015
Verb
Red spots mottled his face; Edwards was sick with measles, too. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 4 June 2025 They were mottled brown with tiny eyes and described as a new species in 1913, dubbed, rather questionably, Moringua hodgarti. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for mottle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mottle
Noun
  • Gopher snakes tend to be tan-colored with large square brown blotches or saddles along their backs and smaller gray spots on their sides.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • The baby was purple-gray-colored, in blotches; wet, smeared in blood and what looked like whitish wax.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 July 2025
Verb
  • Drizzle caramel over pistachios, sprinkle with salt, and set aside to cool.
    Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The clinical nature of the autopsy report is stark against the remnants of Pauline’s humanity, sprinkled throughout the 11 pages.
    Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Its black and white or brown flecks convey a fresh, modern feel that's ideal for breaking away from the tyranny of basics.
    María Munsuri, Glamour, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Although other pests cause similar damage, thrips damage is often associate with numerous small flecks of dark green to black fecal matter.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The large lobby-level bar is dotted with couches and an open fireplace.
    Heather Richardson, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Unsurpringly, 50 pieces of rodent regularity dotted the floor of the dry storage shed and three rodent droppings under the Frosty machine.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Say goodbye to bare patches and thin grass.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Based on the 2023 video game, an unnamed protagonist (Kazunari Ninomiya) gets trapped in an endlessly repeating patch of a subway station hallway, only able to get closer to an exit by identifying bizarre and incongruent aberrations in his environment.
    William Earl, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Any home cleaning product can cause staining and shrinking.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Address any spills in your sink right away to reduce the opportunity for staining.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The cold gave us the sense of being a tiny little speck in this big city, and then of going through a door into a warm space with twelve other musicians.
    Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The waterfront spread near the northern Indiana town of Culver is listed for a speck under $20 million with Andrea Kelly of Encore Sotheby’s International Realty.
    Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The host Colombia was peppering the Bolivia goalkeeper Carlos Lampe with shots on goal from early on.
    Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Familiar names pepper the script, but characters’ circumstances, identities, and motivations have been significantly altered.
    Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mottle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mottle. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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