What does dimpled mean?
Dimpled describes a surface marked by small, rounded hollows or indentations. Its most familiar use is affectionate: a dimpled cheek is one that bears a small depression, typically appearing when a person smiles, and such dimples are broadly regarded as endearing or charming features. The word also appears in more neutral, technical contexts — most famously in the dimpled surface of a golf ball, whose pattern of shallow pits alters airflow and helps the ball travel farther. As an adjective, "dimpled" carries warm connotations in descriptions of people, particularly children, and a neutral, descriptive tone elsewhere. It derives from the noun and verb "dimple," which itself emerged in Middle English. Because the feature it names is both distinctive and culturally prized, "dimpled" remains a vivid, evocative word for writers describing faces, smiles, textures, and manufactured surfaces alike.
Having or marked with small natural hollows or indentations, especially on the cheeks or chin of a person.
"The portrait captured her dimpled smile perfectly."
Past tense and past participle of "dimple": formed small hollows or indentations in a surface.
"Rain dimpled the surface of the lake."
A dimpled chin is caused by a jawbone that's split slightly down the middle — a trait so distinctive it's sometimes called a 'butt chin.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dimpled
Dimpled derives from the verb "dimple," which comes from the noun "dimple," recorded in Middle English (in forms such as "dympull") from around the fourteenth century. The further origin of the noun is uncertain; it may be related to the Old English "dympel" or to German dialect words meaning a small depression. From the noun came the verb "to dimple," and its past participle "dimpled" came to function as an adjective describing anything bearing such small hollows.
How dimpled is actually used
"Dimpled" is overwhelmingly used in positive, often affectionate contexts when describing faces — dimples are widely considered charming. When applied to surfaces (golf balls, fabric), the term is neutral and technical. It functions both as an adjective and as the past participle of the verb "dimple."
Easily confused with dimpled
Dimpled refers to small round hollows or indentations, typically attractive ones like those on cheeks, while wrinkled refers to lines or creases associated with aging or folding.