Streaked With: Standard Pattern
Streaked With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use “streaked with” when something has long, thin, noticeable lines or marks of a different colour or material.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Intended description | Pattern | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| long, thin visible lines or marks of another colour or material | be streaked with + noun | Use the documented pattern. |
| a single isolated spot or broad area | choose a more exact mark/colour verb | Do not force “streaked with” onto every kind of marking. |
| the thing carrying the streaks | subject + be streaked with ... | Make the marked surface or object the subject. |
Quick tests
Shape-and-pattern test
Are the marks long, thin streaks that are visibly different from the surrounding surface?
If yes: Use “be streaked with + noun.”
If no: Choose wording that matches the actual shape or distribution of the marks.
Caveat: The reviewed evidence supports the streak pattern itself; it does not make “streaked with” a general synonym for any kind of mark.
Examples
The grey sky was streaked with pink at sunset.
“Streaked with” describes long, thin areas of a contrasting colour.
Her dark hair was streaked with silver.
The construction fits visible lines of a different colour running through the hair.
The stone was streaked with pale mineral lines.
The marked object is the subject, and “with” introduces the contrasting material.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “streaked with” when something has long, thin, noticeable lines or marks of a different colour or material.
Style Boundary
Cambridge directly lists “be streaked with” for long, thin lines of a different colour. This page stays with that attested “with” construction.
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.
- be streaked — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Direct Cambridge dictionary evidence for “be streaked with” meaning to have long, thin lines of a different colour.