Dappled: meaning, definitions and examples

Used to describe light or color patterns that are soft and irregular, often found in nature such as on leaves or fur.

• The sunlight filtering through the trees created a dappled pattern on the forest floor

Used to describe something with distinct, often larger, spots, commonly used for animals like leopards or dalmatians.

• The leopard has a beautifully spotted coat

Used to describe something with many small spots or marks, often referring to patterns on animals or eggs.

• The robin's eggs are speckled with light brown spots

Used to describe a surface with spots or patches of different colors, typically used in a more neutral or scientific context.

• The frog had a mottled green and brown skin that helped it blend into its environment

Dappled is often used to describe something having spots of light and shadow, commonly found in natural settings such as forests. It's typically associated with a pleasant or idyllic image.

• The forest floor was dappled with sunlight.
• Her face was dappled with the shifting shadows of the leaves.

Fleck describes small marks or spots. It is versatile and can be used in both positive and negative contexts, depending on what is being described.

• The artist's canvas was flecked with bright colors.
• There was a fleck of dirt on the window.

Stipple is often used in art to describe a technique that uses small dots to create texture or shading. It is mostly used in contexts related to drawing and painting.

• She used a stipple technique to create the illusion of depth.
• The artist's stippled landscape was stunning.

Dot refers to a small, round mark. It is often used in a literal sense to describe punctuation, small marks, or locations on a map.

• She added a dot to the end of each line.
• The map was full of dots indicating places of interest.