Marbled With: Standard Pattern
Marbled With: Standard Pattern records a directly evidenced English construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the attested complement rather than turning one documented pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Use “marbled with” when something contains streaks, veins, or areas of a contrasting colour or material that create a marble-like pattern.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| surface/material contains contrasting streaks, veins, or patches | marbled with + noun | Use “with” to introduce the contrasting material or colour. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you describing what contrasting material, colour, or pattern appears through the base?
If yes: Use “marbled with.”
If no: If you are not describing the contrasting element in a marble-like pattern, check whether a different adjective or construction is intended.
Examples
The stone is marbled with thin white veins.
“With” introduces the contrasting veins.
The paper was marbled with blue and gold.
The construction names the colours distributed through the pattern.
Dark chocolate was marbled with ribbons of caramel.
The complement identifies the contrasting material.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “marbled with” when something contains streaks, veins, or areas of a contrasting colour or material that create a marble-like pattern.
Style Boundary
Cambridge directly documents “marbled with” at the headword. This page stays with the directly evidenced streaked or veined pattern.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- marbled — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct Cambridge dictionary headword evidence for the “marbled with” construction.