Synonyms

patterning

American

[pat-er-ning] / ˈpæt ər nɪŋ /

noun

a design or decoration formed by the creative arrangement or formation of patterns.
the following of a specific pattern of movement, as in a dance or exercise.

the floor patterning of a folk dance.
a system of physical therapy in which a pattern of specific movements is practiced or imposed regularly as a way of improving, restoring, or stimulating muscular coordination, especially in brain-damaged or disabled persons.

Other Word Forms

interpatterning noun

Etymology

Origin of patterning

First recorded in 1860–65; pattern + -ing ¹

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 shrewd design’s geometric patterning reverberates against the trailblazing Bauhaus tapestries of Anni Albers, as much as those of Gutiérrez’s Oaxacan ancestors, for a work that travels through time and space.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2024

Most of Thomas’ paintings pile on vivid color, brash patterning and lots of sparkling rhinestones, taking an exultant step toward rectifying the omission.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2024

And, because vegetation patterning seems to also be key in other natural systems, such as microbial communities or coastal wetlands, their results could have implications for systems beyond arid zones.

From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2024

The flurry of electrical activity in the fish’s PAG neurons then triggers a brain response that makes the fish’s sound-related muscles start moving and more signal patterning starts happening in the midbrain.

From Salon • Jan. 8, 2024

Sometimes I went up to the frozen cliffwall and looked down, down, at where the lights lay blue, like the threads running out from a star, patterning the snow.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023