birdlike

American  

[burd-lahyk] / ˈbɜrdˌlaɪk /

adjective

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

   birdlike gestures.

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Other Word Forms

• unbirdlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of birdlike

First recorded in 1580–90; bird + -like

Example Sentences

Its main business is running and lifestyle shoes marked by a simple birdlike logo — the letter “A” turned sideways — that range from $80 to more than $200.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

An abbreviation of Archaeopteryx, a birdlike dinosaur, it started out making climbing harnesses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025

The researchers identified them as the birdlike raptor Citipes elegans; both lacked growth marks on the bones and so were probably less than 1 year old, weighing as much as a modern-day turkey.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 7, 2023

But not one that the Merlin bird-song identification app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology picks up, as birdlike as it may sound.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 18, 2023

And she looked the way my mother used to look—thin, sharp features, birdlike, pretty.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes