Sprinkling — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective verb /ˈspriŋ-kliŋ/ sprin·kling

Meaning & Definition of Sprinkling

Sprinkling (noun)

  1. a limited quantity or amount, modicum
  2. a small quantity falling in scattered drops or particles
  3. a small number distributed at random, scattering

Sprinkling (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a small number

    "a sprinkling of fans showed up at the airport"

    similar: couple, few, handful, scatter, scattering, smatter, smattering, sprinkle
    related: minority, atom, crumb, fragment, grain, iota, jot, modicum, molecule, particle, scrap, shred, tittle, whit
    opposite: army, crowd, flock, gazillion, horde, host, jillion, kazillion, legion, loads, many, mountain, multitude, oodles, scads, thousands, zillion
    near: majority, most, abundance, excess, plenty, surplus, deal, gobs, heap, lot, mass, much, peck, pile, plenitude, pot, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, slather, slew, stack, wad, wealth

  2. a very small amount

    "just a sprinkling of experience with the computer program"

    similar: ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, hint, lick, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, ray, scintilla, scruple, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smack, smell, smidgen, snap, soupçon, spark, spatter, speck, splash, spot, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, touch, trace, drop in the bucket
    related: hoot, iota, jot, minim, minimum, modicum, semblance, syllable, tittle, vestige, whit, atom, dot, fleck, flyspeck, grain, granule, molecule, morsel, mote, nubbin, patch, scrap, dash, drop, pinch, part, portion, section, bite, nibble, taste, handful, scattering, smatter, smattering, dose, shot, chip, flake, fragment, shard, shiver, sliver, smithereens, splinter, tatter, clipping, paring, shaving
    near: abundance, barrel, boatload, bucket, bundle, bushel, deal, fistful, gobs, heaps, lashings (chiefly British), loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, oodles, passel, peck, pile, plenty, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads, stack, wad, wealth, volume, bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overflow, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus, chunk, hunk, lump, slab

Sprinkling (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in drizzling, spitting

    similar: drippy, drizzling, drizzly, misty, mizzly, spitting, pouring, precipitating, rainy, stormy, wet
    opposite: dry

Sprinkling (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on

    "sprinkle the newly seeded lawn with water"

    similar: bestrewing, dotting, peppering, scattering, sowing, spotting, spraying, strewing
    related: blanketing, drizzling, dusting, studding, dappling, flecking, speckling, stippling, bespattering, spattering

  2. to mark with small spots especially unevenly

    "sprinkled the cake with bits of coconut"

    similar: blotching, dappling, dotting, flecking, freckling, marbling, mottling, peppering, shooting, specking, speckling, splotching, spotting, stippling
    related: blotting, dyeing, staining, banding, barring, streaking, striping, interspersing, setting, studding, bespattering, spattering

Related Entry: Sprinkle (verb)

Sprinkle is a different word from Sprinkling. The synonyms below are for sprinkle, not for sprinkling.

  1. to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on

    "sprinkle the newly seeded lawn with water"

    similar: bestrew, dot, pepper, scatter, sow, spot, spray, strew
    related: blanket, drizzle, dust, stud, dapple, fleck, speckle, stipple, bespatter, spatter

  2. to mark with small spots especially unevenly

    "sprinkled the cake with bits of coconut"

    similar: blotch, dapple, dot, fleck, freckle, marble, mottle, pepper, shoot, speck, speckle, splotch, spot, stipple
    related: blot, dye, stain, band, bar, streak, stripe, intersperse, set, stud, bespatter, spatter

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Sprinkling

The most common words with a similar meaning to Sprinkling:

couple, few, handful, scatter, scattering, smatter, smattering, sprinkle, ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, hint, lick, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, ray, scintilla, scruple, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smack, smell, smidgen, snap, soupçon, spark, spatter, speck, splash, spot

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Sprinkling

Words with the opposite meaning of Sprinkling:

army, crowd, flock, gazillion, horde, host, jillion, kazillion, legion, loads, many, mountain, multitude, oodles, scads, thousands, zillion, dry

Related Words for Sprinkling

minority, atom, fragment, grain, iota, jot, modicum, molecule, scrap, tittle, whit, hoot, minim, minimum, semblance, syllable, vestige, dot, fleck, flyspeck, granule, morsel, mote, nubbin, patch, dash, drop, pinch, part, portion

Near Antonyms of Sprinkling

majority, most, abundance, excess, plenty, surplus, deal, gobs, heap, lot, mass, much, peck, pile, plenitude, pot, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, slather, slew, stack, wad, wealth, barrel, boatload, bucket, bundle, bushel

Origin & Etymology of Sprinkling

First known use: 1561

Frequently Asked Questions about Sprinkling

What does "Sprinkling" mean?

"Sprinkling" means a limited quantity or amount, modicum. As an a noun, an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: a limited quantity or amount, modicum. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Sprinkling"?

Other words for "Sprinkling" include couple, few, handful, scatter, scattering, smatter, smattering and sprinkle. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Sprinkling" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Sprinkling"?

There are 137 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Sprinkling". Common alternatives include couple, few, handful, scatter, scattering, smatter, smattering, sprinkle, ace and bit.

What is the opposite of "Sprinkling"?

Antonyms of "Sprinkling" include army, crowd, flock, gazillion, horde, host, jillion and kazillion. Near antonyms include majority, most, abundance and excess.

How do you use "Sprinkling" in a sentence?

Examples of "Sprinkling" in a sentence: "a sprinkling of fans showed up at the airport"; "just a sprinkling of experience with the computer program"; "sprinkle the newly seeded lawn with water".

Is "Sprinkling" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Sprinkling" can be used as a noun, an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Sprinkling"?

"Sprinkling" is pronounced /ˈspriŋ-kliŋ/ and divided into syllables as sprin·kling.

What is the origin of the word "Sprinkling"?

First known use: 1561.