mottled

adjective

mot·​tled ˈmä-tᵊld How to pronounce mottled (audio)
: marked with spots of different colors : having blotches of two or more colors
mottled tree bark
a mottled complexion
the bird's mottled plumage
A combination of red and blue pigments in the shell of a live lobster creates a mottled camouflage of indeterminate hue that blends in with the ocean floor.Kenneth Chang

Examples of mottled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Quiet time to wonder, daydream and relish the mottled bark of sycamore trees has fallen by the wayside. Patricia Steckler, Baltimore Sun, 18 June 2025 What looks like something tangled, speckled or mottled, clearly out of place amid a cluster of broken rushes, cattails, algae, has captured her excited attention. Lizz Schumer, People.com, 17 June 2025 Roman Clay is an ultralow-VOC paste made from a gypsum plaster base that dries with a mottled finish and a stone-like texture. Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 May 2025 All sticky floors, brown mottled tables and nasty padded chairs. Rebecca Lowe, New York Times, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for mottled

Word History

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mottled was in 1676

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Cite this Entry

“Mottled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mottled. Accessed 25 Jun. 2025.

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