vulpine
Americanadjective
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of or resembling a fox.
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cunning or crafty.
adjective
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Also: vulpecular. of, relating to, or resembling a fox
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possessing the characteristics often attributed to foxes; crafty, clever, etc
Etymology
Origin of vulpine
First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin vulpīnus, equivalent to vulp(ēs) “fox” + -īnus adjective suffix; -ine 1; from the same root as Greek alṓpēx and alōpós “fox”
Explanation
You may encounter a vulpine smile, a vulpine movie director, or a vulpine laugh — whatever it is, be on guard. The word vulpine describes something that is crafty like a fox. The word vulpine traces back to the word vulpes, the Latin word for “fox,” and the word can be used literally to describe something directly related to a fox. Nowadays, however, you’re more likely to hear it used to describe something that has the characteristics of a fox. Many cultures associate the fox with cunning and shrewdness, and the word vulpine has come to be used to describe something that has a crafty, intelligent, slightly predatory quality.
Vocabulary lists containing vulpine
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Animal Adjectives
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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.
Bovine is to cow as vulpine is to which animal?
From Slate • Sep. 11, 2023
‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ George Clooney is at his vulpine best as the voice of the titular woodland critter in Wes Anderson’s stop-motion-animated 2009 charmer based on the Roald Dahl children’s novel.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2021
In the second story, Chick asks why Fox doesn’t follow a typical vulpine diet and chicksplains to him what proper foxes eat.
From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2018
Rosenberg’s vulpine versatility produces quick changes of tone.
From The New Yorker • Jun. 27, 2018
His speech was slow and mellow, measured and unexcited, his gestures were wide, and new teeth gave him a vulpine smile out of all proportion to his emotion.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
