as in speck
a very small piece
surreptitiously removed a flyspeck of dirt from the china
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 flyspeck
That’s a flyspeck in a galaxy that measures 100,000 light years across and a universe that is a staggering 94 billion light years.
—
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 21 Dec. 2022
Sooty blotch looks like a brown or black blotch on the fruit; sooty blotch, unlike flyspeck, will wipe off the fruit.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2022
Travelers jumping into the West Texas badlands from Mexico through Candelaria, a flyspeck village 50 miles up two-lane blacktop northwest of Presidio, might be deceived by the prevailing verdant quiet.
—Dudley Althaus, San Antonio Express-News, 26 June 2021
To those who grew up with Duncan in the U.S. Virgin Islands, their friend’s voyage from a picturesque flyspeck in the middle of the ocean to the basketball Hall of Fame was equal parts preordained and inconceivable.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 14 May 2021
But with a thousand islands scattered along their country’s jade-green Adriatic coast, from deserted flyspecks to hipster outposts, there’s no shortage of places to lick one’s wounds—or bask in silver-medal glory.
—Anja Mutić, WSJ, 19 July 2018
Compared to this, Comcast is a flyspeck, and Charter hasn’t even gotten started.
—David Dayen, The New Republic, 30 Apr. 2018
Amid these forces, Fed rate hikes are a relative flyspeck, says Doug Duncan, chief economist of Fannie Mae.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 14 June 2017
For a mere flyspeck, Bogoslof Island has been causing quite a commotion recently.
—Henry Fountain, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2016
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 21 Dec. 2022
Sooty blotch looks like a brown or black blotch on the fruit; sooty blotch, unlike flyspeck, will wipe off the fruit.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2022
Travelers jumping into the West Texas badlands from Mexico through Candelaria, a flyspeck village 50 miles up two-lane blacktop northwest of Presidio, might be deceived by the prevailing verdant quiet.
—Dudley Althaus, San Antonio Express-News, 26 June 2021
To those who grew up with Duncan in the U.S. Virgin Islands, their friend’s voyage from a picturesque flyspeck in the middle of the ocean to the basketball Hall of Fame was equal parts preordained and inconceivable.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 14 May 2021
But with a thousand islands scattered along their country’s jade-green Adriatic coast, from deserted flyspecks to hipster outposts, there’s no shortage of places to lick one’s wounds—or bask in silver-medal glory.
—Anja Mutić, WSJ, 19 July 2018
Compared to this, Comcast is a flyspeck, and Charter hasn’t even gotten started.
—David Dayen, The New Republic, 30 Apr. 2018
Amid these forces, Fed rate hikes are a relative flyspeck, says Doug Duncan, chief economist of Fannie Mae.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 14 June 2017
For a mere flyspeck, Bogoslof Island has been causing quite a commotion recently.
—Henry Fountain, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flyspeck
Noun
-
Now the property has once again popped up for sale, asking a speck under $6 million.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Coincidentally, also visible in the new images is the planet Mercury, appearing as a tiny speck of light gliding closer to the sun.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The song structures melt into goo; the lyrics pelt flecks of raw feeling.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
3 Dec. 2024
-
Each light is attached to a green string to easily blend into your tree, and once the lights are turned on, the liquid inside each bulb bubbles to reveal floating flecks of gold glitter to make your tree shine.—
Kaitlin Gates,
Southern Living,
30 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Moore is quirky and a little bit edgy as the cool one of the group, whose all-black wardrobe could either be a fashion statement… or a sign of clinical depression.—
Katie Rife,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
-
Getting into Gillis’ monologue, like Dave Chappelle and many other stand-ups who’ve hosted over the years the comedian kicked off his second stint by re-hashing some of his regular bits, as well as introducing some new jokes to the Studio 8H crowd.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But in space, especially beyond Earth’s orbit, astronauts are more exposed to these particles, which can damage DNA, increase cancer risk, and accelerate cellular aging.—
Jake Parks,
Discover Magazine,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Laser direct infrared imaging—an advanced form of microscopy using laser light—was used to detect and count the microplastic particles in each bird's lungs.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
This comes during a rough patch for the broader market.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Symptoms Scalp psoriasis causes scaly, inflamed skin patches on the scalp.—
Lana Barhum,
Verywell Health,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
This expression features a higher percentage of rye grain, emphasizing its sweet and spicy contributions.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Even though the soils on these lands will not all be highly productive, the sheer scale of the change positions these two countries to dominate global grain markets in the future.—
Michael Albertus,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Cheese or Dairy Products Cheese and dairy scraps are other food items not to be used in compost.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Food scraps scattered along the roadside attract rodents, which in turn draw owls to hunt them.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Only she’s continued teasing it ever since, putting up billboards over the past few weeks featuring a hotline phone number that played snippets of the song.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Last Friday, another short video was shared on his Instagram, this one featuring a snippet of his own diss.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flyspeck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flyspeck. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share