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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
The Atlantic, 19 Nov. 2025
The page squinted up at the nightingale, her dull feathers and stippled breast.
—Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
Watch for yellow, stippled leaves, especially on flowering or fruiting plants.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 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
Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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
Watch for yellow, stippled leaves, especially on flowering or fruiting plants.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 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
-
Another six dead roaches dotted kitchen area light shields.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Moss wore a black, semi-sheer polka-dot blouse featuring delicate, dotted-mesh fabric that revealed a glimpse of skin underneath.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Baristas sprinkled shredded phyllo dough over top heaps of cold foam.—
Jenna Thompson
April 1,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The Original Glazed doughnut is dipped in blue vanilla icing, sprinkled with Oreo crunch and white nonpareils.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Relieved of their blindfolds, the men now wore heavy rucksacks filled with colored rocks representing their anger (red), guilt and shame (black), and sadness (blue).—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The woman saw a dark-colored sedan pull away from the scene.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
My spacious room in the heritage section had stained cedar headboards with gorgeous grain, a large comfortable sofa and heather grey carpets.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Investigators also reported discovering a partial bare footprint inside the home, later finding that Oninski’s left foot was stained with what appeared to be blood.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The air rang with random alarms; the soft surfaces were mottled with mystery stains.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
But Tariq’s body was already cold, and his skin was mottled.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The biscuits, flecked with frilly sprigs of dill, are pulled together with sour cream, giving them tenderness and a mild tang.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Locked in a safe on her desk at Boston University’s Institute for Astrophysical Research is a shard of meteorite flecked with material older than the sun.—
James Dinneen,
Quanta Magazine,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Camouflaged in a valley speckled with just a handful of villas and farmsteads, the 16 stone houses overlook the naked dunes and sensational sunsets of Livadia Bay.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
-
It was speckled with fans in Brazilian yellow kits, with just a few French flags waving to celebrate Mbappé's goal.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stippled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stippled. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
