mottling

verb

present participle of mottle
as in sprinkling
to mark with small spots especially unevenly old papers that were mottled by mold

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mottling
  1. sprinkling
  2. staining
  3. dotting
  4. flecking
  5. spotting
  6. stippling
  7. dyeing
  8. dappling
Verb
  • Imagine sprinkling Cool Ranch Dorito seasoning on giant Fritos.
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Didier Fuentes has essentially filled in as the setup man in Suarez’s absence, with left-hander Dylan Lee also sprinkling in some appearances.
    — Jesús Cano, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of sprinkling
Verb
  • Use only white, clear or purple products on your hair to avoid staining.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Caie concurs, recommending paying careful attention to the cuticles before adding a base coat to fill nail ridges and prevent staining.
    — Violet Hayward, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of staining
Verb
  • London/New York — The bars, theaters and restaurants dotting central London may not seem like a conflict zone.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The shoe’s name derives from the studded accents seen throughout, dotting the straps for a punk-rock finish.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of dotting
Verb
  • That’s squishing the spoonbills to new corners of Florida Bay, both to inland spots of the Everglades that used to be dry and have gone soggy and to some of the tiny mangrove islands flecking the bay.
    — Alex Harris July 8, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026
Definition of flecking
Verb
  • Passengers screamed after spotting the co-pilot stabbing the captain, and the flight from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv began a steep dive.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But Topo Chico fans have already begun spotting the familiar green bottles — and celebrating online.
    — Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of spotting
Verb
  • Two pumps on the back of my hand did the trick, stippling it across my red-speckled cheeks and around my nose.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2025
  • The yellowing, eventually turning to brown, starts with stippling or tiny dots on the foliage where mites have pierced the leaves’ epidermis with their stylets or sucking mouthparts.
    — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025
Definition of stippling
Verb
  • The Grammy-winning singer has never shied away from dyeing her hair.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 30 May 2026
  • Any colors that can catch your eye from a plate (and make your mouth water) are guaranteed to make an impact in 2026; edible flowers are the key to organically dyeing drinks and desserts with different hues.
    — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2026
Definition of dyeing
Verb
  • With the light dappling down from a sunroof, my dress was presented in all her glory.
    — Alexandra Macon, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Gaze out the viewing window to forest views, and wake up to sunlight dappling the geometric ceiling.
    — Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of dappling
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.

Browse Nearby Words

mottles
mottling
motto
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mottling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mottling. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All