elfish
Americanadjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- elfishly adverb
- elfishness noun
Etymology
Origin of elfish
First recorded in 1535–45; alteration of elvish
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.
He appears elfish and shy as he approaches his instrument.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2025
The plate of elfish cream puffs was in disarray when the judges came to taste them, but Lynch explained that there had been a fight between North Pole and South Pole elves.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2022
For example, he deleted descriptions of him as “an elfish boy” who speaks “defiantly” to Wendy and tries to be “more contemptuous than ever”.
From The Guardian • Dec. 15, 2019
He was only a couple years younger than me, but his round face, milky skin, and elfish features made him look like a teenager.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2019
She was pretty in a dryad-y way, with her purple gossamer dress and her elfish face, but her eyes were green-tinted with chlorophyll from crying.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
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.
