stipple
1 of 2verb
stip·ple ˈsti-pəl 
stippled; stippling ˈsti-p(ə-)liŋ
transitive verb
1
: to engrave by means of dots and flicks
2
a
: to make by small short touches (as of paint or ink) that together produce an even or softly graded shadow
b
: to apply (something, such as paint) by repeated small touches
3
: speckle, fleck
stippler
ˈsti-p(ə-)lər
noun stipple
2 of 2noun
: production of gradation of light and shade in graphic art by stippling small points, larger dots, or longer strokes
also : an effect produced in this way
Synonyms
Verb
- blotch
- dapple
- dot
- fleck
- freckle
- marble
- mottle
- pepper
- shoot
- speck
- speckle
- splotch
- spot
- sprinkle
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb the sunlight falling through the lace curtain stippled her face
Recent Examples on the Web
Alaina Demopoulos, Allure, 26 Apr. 2022 Martha Ulrich shivered in the harsh February cold, her bare legs stippled with goosebumps. oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2020 Kenturah Davis’ 2015 self-portrait was made using an ink stippling technique. Susan Dunne, courant.com, 22 Oct. 2019 The terrifying time was stippled with the ordinary and the joyous. BostonGlobe.com, 11 Oct. 2019 Curliss recommends the following Colorblends varieties, available at colorblends.com:Flamenco Queen: Big white blooms brushed and stippled with red. Karen Dardick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2019 Compare stippling the pages with water spots, unable to put your arms down, with balancing an ashtray on the rim of the tub, unable to put one arm down. Garnett Kilberg Cohen, The New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2019 The sedan’s rear driver’s door was stippled with multiple bullet holes, and both windows on that side were shot out. Alice Yin, chicagotribune.com, 14 Sep. 2019 Kardashian mixed the two products together on the back of her hand with a Kabuki brush and then quickly stippled it all over her face. Bella Cacciatore, Glamour, 16 Aug. 2019 Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 16 Mar. 2022 The surface of the lake, roused to a salt-and-pepper stipple by the rain, was devoid of sailboats or swimmers. John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2021 With the iron heated, carefully press the tip into the plastic of the handle repeatedly to cover it with stipples. Tyler Freel, Outdoor Life, 19 Nov. 2019 The 26-year-old tenor saxophonist has set most of these original compositions at a medium-fast tempo, and her saxophone stipples and scampers, gesturing toward the influence of the alto saxophonist Steve Lehman. New York Times, 11 May 2018 Pro Tip: To quickly cover dark circles, stipple (a.k.a. Amber Kallor, Marie Claire, 28 Apr. 2017 A third left an entrance wound surrounded by gunpowder stipple at the base of his skull and an exit wound in his left cheek. John Branch, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2017 See More
Verb
And so on a chilly February weeknight, Bedrick began by showing examples of low-cost products that can help with makeup basics, like a brow tint pen, eyeliner pot, contour palette, stipple sponge, and liquid black eyeliner. Alaina Demopoulos, Allure, 26 Apr. 2022 Martha Ulrich shivered in the harsh February cold, her bare legs stippled with goosebumps. oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2020 Kenturah Davis’ 2015 self-portrait was made using an ink stippling technique. Susan Dunne, courant.com, 22 Oct. 2019 The terrifying time was stippled with the ordinary and the joyous. BostonGlobe.com, 11 Oct. 2019 Curliss recommends the following Colorblends varieties, available at colorblends.com:Flamenco Queen: Big white blooms brushed and stippled with red. Karen Dardick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2019 Compare stippling the pages with water spots, unable to put your arms down, with balancing an ashtray on the rim of the tub, unable to put one arm down. Garnett Kilberg Cohen, The New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2019 The sedan’s rear driver’s door was stippled with multiple bullet holes, and both windows on that side were shot out. Alice Yin, chicagotribune.com, 14 Sep. 2019 Kardashian mixed the two products together on the back of her hand with a Kabuki brush and then quickly stippled it all over her face. Bella Cacciatore, Glamour, 16 Aug. 2019 Noun
Stage three required more silicone cheeks, chin, neck, back of neck, lips and stretch and stipple to age around her eyes, forehead and furrow. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 16 Mar. 2022 The surface of the lake, roused to a salt-and-pepper stipple by the rain, was devoid of sailboats or swimmers. John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2021 With the iron heated, carefully press the tip into the plastic of the handle repeatedly to cover it with stipples. Tyler Freel, Outdoor Life, 19 Nov. 2019 The 26-year-old tenor saxophonist has set most of these original compositions at a medium-fast tempo, and her saxophone stipples and scampers, gesturing toward the influence of the alto saxophonist Steve Lehman. New York Times, 11 May 2018 Pro Tip: To quickly cover dark circles, stipple (a.k.a. Amber Kallor, Marie Claire, 28 Apr. 2017 A third left an entrance wound surrounded by gunpowder stipple at the base of his skull and an exit wound in his left cheek. John Branch, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Dutch stippelen to spot, dot
First Known Use
Verb
circa 1762, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1837, in the meaning defined above
stippling
verb
as in sprinkling
to mark with small spots especially unevenly the sunlight falling through the lace curtain stippled her face Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- sprinkling
- dotting
- staining
- mottling
- flecking
- speckling
- marbling
- dyeing
- spotting
- blotching
- splotching
- dappling
- freckling
- peppering
- striping
- specking
- shooting
- blotting
- streaking
- banding
- interspersing
- studding
- spattering
- barring
- setting
- bespattering