STIPPLED Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

stippled 1 of 2

adjective

as in dotted

marked with spots create a stippled effect by dabbing a contrasting color of paint over an undercoat with a rag or sponge

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

stippled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of stipple

as in sprinkled

to mark with small spots especially unevenly the sunlight falling through the lace curtain stippled her face

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 stippled

Adjective

In a burst of primary color and trompe l’oeil trickery, five dice—red, yellow, blue, green, white—are suspended against a maroon field densely latticed with dice shapes, the cubes appearing simultaneously to lie stationary on its pip-stippled surface and to tumble downward through space. — James Quandt, Artforum, 2 June 2026 The delicate stippled pattern is reminiscent of shifting clouds that add depth and movement while maintaining an airiness. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 25 May 2026 Watch for yellow, stippled leaves, especially on flowering or fruiting plants. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 19 May 2026 Grating anything is usually a knuckle-threatening chore—but this stippled ceramic dish from Japan makes it into its own soothing ritual, turning a brown stem into liquidish gold with a few easy rubs. — The Atlantic, 19 Nov. 2025 The page squinted up at the nightingale, her dull feathers and stippled breast. — Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025 Over a 10-month period, our editors—all with vastly different preferences for coverage, finish, and format—buffed and blended (and swept and stippled) their way through about 650 submissions. — Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025

Verb

Inside the passage, the lips of water beyond my torchlight are coal black, stippled with freckles of sediment. — Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stippled

Adjective

Okongwu caught an inbound pass just outside the arc, dribbled in, and pulled up at the dotted line.

— Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 3 Nov. 2026
This will help make the operations more effective and efficient…but local marketing teams, particularly in larger FTA markets will continue to have a dotted line relationship into the country GM/MD and be part of their leadership team.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of dotted

Adjective

The nearly 10-foot-tall image of Jesus suspended from the cross was shattered into hundreds of colored pieces, which scattered on the ground inside as well as outside the building.

— Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Black cat bias is a very real phenomenon where cats with black coats are viewed more negatively, adopted less often, and euthanized more than lighter colored cats, according to the American Animal Hospital Association.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of colored

Verb

Donning a pink skirt suit and matching pillbox hat stained with fake blood, Fox stepped out as the former First Lady during an event for Urban Decay.

— Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2026
The sculptures were frequently stained with graphite or chalk dust, whose force of presence was comparable to that of cliff or cave, capable of stunning the viewer into silence.

— News Desk, Artforum, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of stained

Verb

Related Articles The designer piece seemed to be made of a mix of tulle and some other opaque fabric that was mottled with darker accents for dimension.

— Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2026
The mosquito, mottled in neon pink and purple, can be seen on a nearby computer screen.

— Ari Daniel, NPR, 11 June 2026

Definition of mottled

Verb

Chef Williams Saurina adds his own touches, with novel spins on ceviche, zesty salsas flecked with pumpkin seeds, and aromatic Tikin Xic (sea bass with recado rojo, made from local achiote, wrapped in totomoxtle leaf).

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026
The pillowy dough is flecked with cinnamon and crowded with tender chunks of apple.

— Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of flecked

Verb

The candidate had just spent nearly 40 minutes addressing several dozen Orange County moms in Mission Viejo, a hilly and affluent enclave speckled with golf courses and Spanish colonial architecture.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Dark clouds swirl across a sky speckled with stars as the Milky Way stretches above the European Space Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of speckled

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stipple

stippled

stipples

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“Stippled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stippled. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of stippled

adjective

verb

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