dappled
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- undappled adjective
Etymology
Origin of dappled
1350–1400; Middle English, probably < Scandinavian; akin to Old Norse depill spot
Explanation
Dappled is an adjective that means marked with spots or rounded patches. If you can picture Bambi's dappled rear, then you are on the right track. The origins of dappled are a bit mysterious. Its use as an adjective may date from around 1400, from a Middle English word that referred to the markings on an apple, or maybe to gray horses with round blotches that resembled apples. Dappled is usually used to describe markings on a horse or a deer, though photographers also appreciate "the dappled effect of sunlight filtered through leaves."
Vocabulary lists containing dappled
The Kite Runner
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"The Song of Wandering Aengus" by W.B. Yeats
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"The Song of Wandering Aengus" and "Sonnet 43," Vocabulary from the poems
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The evening is lightly dappled with personal or informative patter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
In a woodland glade, in dappled sunshine, Sharron and Glen Markey are arm-in-arm beside the tree they planted in memory of their beloved 17-year-old daughter, Helena, their only child.
From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025
Inside the breathtaking Art Deco interiors of the Palais de la Porte Doree, Issey Miyake ’s guests admired wall-to-wall frescos and bas-reliefs of exotic scenes lit up in dappled lighting.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 1, 2024
In the new study, the researchers repeatedly showed mice one of two images, each consisting of a different checkerboard pattern of gray and dappled black and white squares.
From Science Daily • Dec. 13, 2023
We walked in the dappled shade, enjoying the mist blown off the burbling fountains.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
