aardvark

American  

[ahrd-vahrk] / ˈɑrdˌvɑrk /

noun

1. a large, nocturnal, burrowing mammal, Orycteropus afer, of central and southern Africa, feeding on ants and termites and having a long, extensile tongue, strong claws, and long ears.

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aardvark British  

/ ˈɑːdˌvɑːk /

noun

1. Also called: ant bear.  a nocturnal mammal, Orycteropus afer, the sole member of its family ( Orycteropodidae ) and order ( Tubulidentata ). It inhabits the grasslands of Africa, has long ears and snout, and feeds on termites

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Etymology

Origin of aardvark

First recorded in 1825–35; from Afrikaans erdvark, from Dutch aardvarken, equivalent to aarde “earth” + varken “pig”; see earth, farrow ¹

Compare meaning

How does aardvark compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• aardvark vs. armadillo

Explanation

An aardvark is an African mammal with a long, flexible snout; rabbit-like ears; and powerful, shovel-like claws. Aardvarks are insectivores, meaning they primarily eat insects. Some people call aardvarks "antbears" due to their diet of social insects like ants and termites. While aardvarks resemble badgers or small pigs, they are related to neither: Aardvarks are the only living species in the order Tubulidentata. These nocturnal animals dig for food at night and use their long, sticky, worm-like tongue to extract insects from deep tunnels. The word aardvark comes from Afrikaans Dutch, literally meaning "earth-pig," a combination of aard, "earth," and vark, "pig."

Example Sentences

OpenAI’s Aardvark is an AI security researcher that continuously reviews code and suggests fixes before vulnerabilities can be exploited.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

Whilst traditional forecasting requires hours of use on a powerful supercomputer, researchers say, Aardvark can be deployed on a desktop computer in minutes.

From BBC • Aug. 5, 2025

“I have collaborated with the team at the Aardvark studio adjusting plate pressure, ink colors and translucency to achieve sublime effects that no other medium can deliver,” artist Fairey states via email.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2024

He’s kept a pair of his son Conor’s cartoon Arthur the Aardvark socks since Conor was 9.

From Washington Post • Jun. 11, 2022

She used to watch Artie the Aardvark too, so she knew every cartoon by heart.

From "Sleepover Sleuths: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #1" by Carolyn Keene