birdlike

[burd-lahyk]

adjective

1. having the appearance or characteristics of a bird, as quickness, lightness, fragility, etc..

   birdlike gestures.

Other Word Forms

• unbirdlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of birdlike¹

First recorded in 1580–90; bird + -like

Example Sentences

He is often drawn to physically resemble a penguin, dressed in a formal suit with a long birdlike nose, shuffling with a bit of a waddle.

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The camera keens and swoops, birdlike, around the guests — who are decked out in neon eye shadow and bright pastel-colored outfits — and a synth-heavy score lends the whole affair a hint of the uncanny.

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It was probably the drone on the vibraphone and the birdlike chirping on flutes that induced me into a trance.

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Lader is slight, birdlike almost, with a focused, energetic, no-nonsense manner that made me correct my posture.

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What was new in their research was linking the cerebellum findings of flight-enabled brains in modern birds to the fossil record that showed how the brains of birdlike dinosaurs began to develop brain conditions for powered flight.

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