1
as in flecks
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part
a lizard with specks of white against a green body
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in splashes
a very small amount
not a speck of explanation to accompany the book's pictures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in particles
a very small piece
a speck of dust was preventing the laser from reading the disc
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sprinkles
to mark with small spots especially unevenly
dirt that had specked the windows of the factory for ages
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of specks
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Their faces lost distinction, their bodies smaller and smaller and then only specks in the overvoid.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 18 May 2026
A lot of recipes call for white pepper to keep the appearance of dishes clean (think white or cheese sauces), without any dark specks.
—Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 May 2026
From the summit of Monte Gambarogno, the towns hugging the shore of Lake Maggiore appear as tiny specks, dwarfed by the snowcapped southern Alps to the north.
—Lisa Kadane, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2026
Silvery or mottled patches on leaves, brown or distorted petal edges, dark specks (feces) or flower buds that fail to open are signs of thrips.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
Keep an eye out for tiny brown or orange specks, especially around door edges, undercarriage, and seams.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Keep an eye out for tiny brown or orange specks, especially around door edges, undercarriage and seams.
—Jenna Prestininzi, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Learning how to apply mascara correctly can level up your whole eye look—but without the proper technique, even the best mascara can leave you with clumps, smears, or black specks across your face.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2026
Noun
As in Kourliandski’s quartet, specks and splatters of sound are interspersed with silences.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Their faces lost distinction, their bodies smaller and smaller and then only specks in the overvoid.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 18 May 2026
A lot of recipes call for white pepper to keep the appearance of dishes clean (think white or cheese sauces), without any dark specks.
—Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 May 2026
From the summit of Monte Gambarogno, the towns hugging the shore of Lake Maggiore appear as tiny specks, dwarfed by the snowcapped southern Alps to the north.
—Lisa Kadane, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2026
Silvery or mottled patches on leaves, brown or distorted petal edges, dark specks (feces) or flower buds that fail to open are signs of thrips.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
Keep an eye out for tiny brown or orange specks, especially around door edges, undercarriage, and seams.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Keep an eye out for tiny brown or orange specks, especially around door edges, undercarriage and seams.
—Jenna Prestininzi, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Learning how to apply mascara correctly can level up your whole eye look—but without the proper technique, even the best mascara can leave you with clumps, smears, or black specks across your face.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specks
Noun
-
The person who seems least surprised by it all is Matsuzawa, perhaps the league’s only 27-year-old rookie with flecks of gray in his hair.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
-
Powerful new lasers and x-rays are enabling geologists like Korolev, a researcher at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City, to probe increasingly small flecks of minerals in deep diamonds.—
James Dinneen,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The show combines nontraditional percussion, marshmallows, paint splashes, plumbing, black lights and streaming streamers.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
-
You’ll be thrown around in your seat, which moves in sync with the action, along with thumps in the back, splashes of water, blasts of air, smoke, and flashes of light.—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
As dust floats through the air, static electricity can attract particles of dirt, pollen, pet dander, and dust that accumulate on the fan blades over time.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
-
Similar to how cosmic impacts can agitate and heat lunar regolith to liberate trapped particles from the solar wind, machines can do much the same.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
In honor of the Niners’ 80th season, the video takes us on a house tour through the decades that sprinkles their opponents’ objects in each room.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Pastry chef Sahar Shomali, Kouzeh’s owner, sprinkles her version with black and white sesame seeds, cumin and fresh dill.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Blue Dot Fever symptoms include a visible rash of unsold Ticketmaster seats (shown as blue dots on the seat maps), an artist’s red face from the embarrassment of having to cancel shows, and disappointed fans.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
-
The challenge is to arrange those dots so that as many pairs as possible sit exactly one unit apart.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
While math achievement saw a rebound after the pandemic, reading continued to decline through 2024, with 2025 offering glimmers of a turnaround, the report said.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
-
The Melissa is a slightly wider shape for more coverage and balance on longer or wider faces, with a chunky gold hinge that glimmers in the sun.—
Kelsey Legg,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
In between shout-outs from the crowd, Colbert played it straight, rattling off jokes about the day’s headlines, revealing one last First Draft, and sharing shrewd bits of history about The Ed Sullivan Theater.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
-
Big shot guests popped up in the studio audience, including the actors Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, and Ryan Reynolds, who did a few bits and pattered about the host going off air; Colbert moved through the usual jokes about the day’s news.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
What Sacks doesn’t get is that by financing and diplomatically supporting Israel, our country makes the crimes of the Israeli government possible, which stains America’s reputation in the world and drains our Treasury.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Every failure of the state now stains the turban as well as the uniform.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Specks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specks. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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