variants
also dapple
1
as in dotted
marked with spots
a dappled fawn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in colored
having blotches of two or more colors
a forest that was vibrant with the dappled foliage of autumn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sprinkled
to mark with small spots especially unevenly
sunlight dappled the canopy of vines over our heads
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 dappled
Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Lee Calvert’s new bedroom glowed with the dappled sunlight of a late-spring afternoon.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 13 Aug. 2025
The exception may be the size of the potato gnocchi, husky rectangles of creamy potato dumplings in a lemon butter sauce, circling jumbo lump crab morsels dappled with chives.
—Beth D'addono, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dappled
Adjective
Cradled beneath dramatic cliffs on Mauritius’s southwestern coast, Le Morne Beach beckons with silky sands and swaying palms that cast dappled shade over slung hammocks.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Lee Calvert’s new bedroom glowed with the dappled sunlight of a late-spring afternoon.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
Verb
The stage, covered in a crumbling cityscape and backed by a massive screen, sat next to a cross-shaped catwalk on the stadium floor dappled with giant golden rings.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 13 Aug. 2025
The exception may be the size of the potato gnocchi, husky rectangles of creamy potato dumplings in a lemon butter sauce, circling jumbo lump crab morsels dappled with chives.
—Beth D'addono, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dappled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dappled
Adjective
-
Simple arithmetic such as 355/113 could be calculated in place by selecting the text and pressing USE FRONT-CALC (Control-G), which yields the answer with a dotted underline to indicate the result of a computation.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Prospects seem good that someone will sign on the dotted line during or soon after the Toronto event.—
Julie Hinds,
Freep.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Women in brightly colored dresses danced in shoes that loudly clicked across the floor.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Across the valley sat a two-story barn where caramel-colored and chestnut-spotted horses plus a storybook white one were lined up along the wooden fence.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To see those brown eyes, long brown hair, and those freckles sprinkled across her nose.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The clinical nature of the autopsy report is stark against the remnants of Pauline’s humanity, sprinkled throughout the 11 pages.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
The Tennessean,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For an eco-friendly option, check out EcoBirdy, a kids’ furniture company that creates its wares out of ecothylene—a patented material made from upcycled plastic toys that lends each piece a flecked pattern.—
Leonora Epstein,
Architectural Digest,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Drizzle this herb-flecked dressing over greens, roasted or grilled veggies, and grain salads.—
Katlyn Moncada,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This energy is released as light, producing the colorful displays seen in the night sky.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Grand Slam winners get a colorful Grand Slam Award sticker.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Inside the retro-futuristic Discoveryland area of Disneyland Paris, a full-size Star Wars X-Wing fighter sits on a silver and blue platform which looks like it has been weathered and stained from battles.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Doing some research on other things my car needs (truly the theme for this week) and decide a seat cover would be good, since it’s been stained a bit with annoying food spills.—
R29 Team,
Refinery29,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The whole rug needs to get wet or colors in the fiber could migrate and result in a blotched look.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Its leaves are deciduous and sometimes white-blotched.—
Howard Garrett,
Dallas News,
16 Aug. 2021
Verb
-
Gerwig, 42, returned to Venice in a black dress with a sheer black overlay speckled with glittering flowers.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
That’s because very ripe bananas—which are speckled with brown spots or even completely brown—are naturally sweeter than their green or yellow counterparts.—
Heather Riske,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dappled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dappled. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share