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
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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
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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
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Guests will be interested in the artwork, which showcases the building, its inhabitants, and its surroundings throughout the years, and can be found dotted throughout the property.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
-
On the contrary, large parts of the globe are quite densely dotted with seismic sensors designed to detect earthquakes, and those measurements are mostly openly available online.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Still, comical moments were sprinkled throughout the ceremony.—
Zareen Syed,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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The beachfront Windjammer Landing Resort & Residences is sprinkled with vibrant gardens, sparkling pools, and accommodations ranging from cozy rooms to spacious villas.—
Allison Tibaldi,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Sparkling Orange Nº1, a low-intervention, organic orange (orange colored due to skin contact, no oranges used) bubbly from Alsace that pops with orange peel and juicy peach, then drifts into jasmine, herbs, and gentle spice.—
Lanee Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Run the cycle again, warm for colored towels and hot for white towels.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The liquid stained Omar's clothes and may have reached her eye.—
Aki Nace,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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In testing on human teeth that were artificially stained with tea and coffee, the researchers found that a total of four hours of brushing showed visible whitening, while 12 total hours of brushing led to teeth that were nearly 50% whiter than those in a control group.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But Tariq’s body was already cold, and his skin was mottled.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
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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Rounds of roasted purple sweet potatoes arrive mounded with a mixture of salsa macha and butter, and liberally flecked with chives.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
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Outside, a man wearing a leather biker vest bearing the insignia of the Latin American Motorcycle Association, his blond beard flecked with ice crystals, directed a line of cars through the snow.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Last weekend, more than 400 shacks speckled the frozen bay, Bloedorn recalled, as ice anglers flocked to the Upper Peninsula to take advantage of perfect ice conditions.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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This cheese is described as a classic, handmade Wisconsin Original Colby that’s speckled with caraway seeds.—
Michele Herrmann,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stippled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stippled. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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