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speckly

speckly

3.5
A surface with many small spots like dots on an egg or cloth
  • adjective
  • /ˈspɛkli/
translation icon : moteado
  • The old wallpaper was a bit faded but still had a charming speckly pattern.

Examples

  • The first thing is this Gray T-shirts and, and as you can see, it's got kind of like black or like dark or grey kind of speckly pattern on it.

  • It just kind of looks speckly for some reason, whereas I don't have that on this side at all.

  • The floor is obviously very busy with this kind of like broken up and speckly tiles.

  • You know the speckly kind with white dots?

  • Whirls and speckly, sparkly things.

  • Those miniature servings of food, a third of a banana rewrapped in a speckly black peel and sitting in the fridge!

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The artist painted a beautiful landscape with a speckly sky full of colorful spots.

  • She wore a dress that was covered in a speckly design, making it unique and eye-catching.

Synonyms

spotty
vsspeckly
4 1.4

Marked with small spots or patches of a different color

is more about uniform small specks rather than uneven patchiness
spotted
vsspeckly
2 1.0

Having spots or patches of a different color

is narrower, highlighting many tiny specks rather than larger patches
speckled
vsspeckly
1 2.8

Covered with many small spots of a different color

focuses on many tiny specks rather than color contrast
freckly
vsspeckly
1 3.0

Having many small brown spots on skin or other things

applies broadly to surfaces, not specifically to skin markings
bespeckled
vsspeckly
1 7.1

Having small spots on the surface

is the same idea but emphasizes many tiny specks across the area
punctate
vsspeckly
  • Specialized
1 8.9

Having many small dots or spots on skin and leaves

is everyday wording for many small visible specks rather than technical terms
specked
vsspeckly
3.2

Covered with many small spots like drops of paint

leans more toward many tiny specks rather than varied spacing
flecked
vsspeckly
4.4

With small spots of a different color

signals many tiny specks specifically rather than larger color patches
flyspecked
vsspeckly
7.2

Marked by many small dark spots left by flies

is general about many tiny specks regardless of their cause

How Spotted

mottled
7 6.3
dappled
5 5.5
spotted
2 1.0
speckly
3.5
freckled
10 2.7

Surface Forms

speckly positive
specklier comparative
speckliest superlative

Morphology

speckly = speck (transparent) = speck + ly

Meaning is directly formed from 'speck' + the adjectival suffix '-ly' to mean 'having specks' or 'marked with small spots'.

Etymology

Speckly comes from speck meaning a 'little spot' and the ending -ly that here means 'full of' or 'having'. So speckly means 'covered with many small spots', like a speckled egg or a dotted dress.