Meaning & use
dappled
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Covered with small patches of light and shade, or of two or more shades, giving an uneven spotted look.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: dappled light.
Patterns
- dappled with something
Dappled sunlight fell through the leaves onto the path.
The pond was dappled with the shadows of clouds.
We rested under a tree in the dappled shade.
adjectivebefore a noun
Having a coat marked with rounded spots of a lighter or darker color, as with some horses and deer.
Grammar: Describes animal coats: a dappled grey horse.
Patterns
- a dappled horse
The dappled grey pony trotted around the paddock.
A dappled fawn stood still in the clearing.
Her dappled mare was the prettiest in the show.
Common combinations
- dappled light
- Dappled light moved over the picnic blanket.
- dappled shade
- They walked slowly in the dappled shade.
- dappled sunlight
- Dappled sunlight filtered into the kitchen.
- dappled grey
- The dappled grey horse won first prize.
- dappled with
- The meadow was dappled with wildflowers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mottled
- Mottled suggests irregular blotches and can sound unattractive, while dappled is gentler and more pleasant.
- speckled
- Speckled describes tiny dots, but dappled describes larger soft patches.
- spotted
- Spotted is plain and general, whereas dappled often has a shifting, poetic feel.
- flecked
- Flecked suggests small scattered marks, usually fewer and smaller.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: dappled or dabbled?
dappled vs dabbled
Dabbled means splashed lightly or tried something casually. Dappled describes patches of light or color.
Practice
Which scene is best described as dappled?
Choose one answer.
Dappled means marked with patches of light and shade, as under a tree. The other scenes are even or dark.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dappled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.