as in flecks
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part
the cat has a speckle of orange right at her whiskers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in sprinkles
to mark with small spots especially unevenly
speckled the cookies with colored sugar
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of speckles
Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Jan. 2026
White speckles dot the purple mold, while a gradient sole unit runs through blue, purple and pink.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 2 Jan. 2026
Their belly is white with black speckles while their wings and back are black with white.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 30 Oct. 2025
The most prosaic explanation is that Villarroel’s transients are simply artifacts in the photographic plates such as speckles of dust, blobs in the emulsion or even radioactive particles.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025
The blanket, wrapped tightly around a baby, and its flourishes of red embroidery looking eerily like speckles of blood.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 24 Sep. 2025
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
For example, 'Pink Splash’ features hot pink streaks on deep green leaves, and ‘Snow White’ has white speckles on deep green leaves.
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Jan. 2026
White speckles dot the purple mold, while a gradient sole unit runs through blue, purple and pink.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 2 Jan. 2026
Their belly is white with black speckles while their wings and back are black with white.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 30 Oct. 2025
The most prosaic explanation is that Villarroel’s transients are simply artifacts in the photographic plates such as speckles of dust, blobs in the emulsion or even radioactive particles.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025
The blanket, wrapped tightly around a baby, and its flourishes of red embroidery looking eerily like speckles of blood.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
The same kind of misunderstanding speckles the discourse around Live Laugh Love, his stellar new album.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speckles
Noun
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López reportedly found flecks of gold while digging wild onions, sparking an early gold rush.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
26 Dec. 2025
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Shiny and dark evergreen foliage is held aloft on strong, arching stems mottled with purple flecks.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Much like Knives Out, the movie takes a much more lighthearted approach and sprinkles humor throughout.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
15 Dec. 2025
-
The shareable treat features Galactic Brownie ice cream, fudge drizzle, M&Ms candies, and Halloween sprinkles atop a double fudge brownie crust.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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With the help of NASA's $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers first discovered the mysterious specks of light known as little red dots at the end of 2022.—
Charles Q. Choi,
Space.com,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Microcalcifications appear as white specks and may indicate cancer in some cases.—
Lindsey Leake,
NBC news,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Barnett dots up Knight for a 57-yard catch-and-run.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Oct. 2025
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Rather than the stiff alien chitchat that dots his own screenplays, the characters in The Favourite trade the witty, venomous bon mots of The Great creator Tony McNamara.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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These blotches are fairly plant friendly and produce what is known as algal leaf spot.—
Brian Bell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Jan. 2026
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Photos show the Maratus australis spider, which has an intricate pattern of blue and brown blotches edged with bright teal and red-orange stripes.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This mixture attacks stains a bit stronger than the water solution.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
11 Jan. 2026
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Season with salt and lots of pepper and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking often, until the turmeric stains the mixture a wonderful golden color and the liquid starts to steam, about 3 minutes.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Topps said a number of the patches will be placed into ultra-rare trading cards.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
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Images showed the species, recognizable by their height and yellow patches, declined in Antarctica by 22% between 2009 and 2024.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Speckles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speckles. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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