feline
Americanadjective
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belonging or pertaining to the cat family, Felidae.
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catlike; characteristic of animals of the cat family.
a feline tread.
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sly, stealthy, or treacherous.
noun
adjective
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of, relating to, or belonging to the Felidae , a family of predatory mammals, including cats, lions, leopards, and cheetahs, typically having a round head and retractile claws: order Carnivora (carnivores)
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resembling or suggestive of a cat, esp in stealth or grace
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of feline
1675–85; < Latin fēl ( ēs ) ( see Felis) + -ine 1; compare Late Latin fēlīneus of a wild cat
Explanation
You can describe your kitten as your young feline friend, since feline describes anything having to do with cats. The adjective feline is useful when you're talking about cats — just as canine describes dogs, and ursine describes bears. You might talk about the special feline food and toys you buy for your pet, or describe his feline beauty. You can even describe a person as feline, if something about him or her is catlike. The Latin root felinus means "of or belonging to a cat," from feles, "cat."
Vocabulary lists containing feline
A Lexical Zoo of Animal Adjectives
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Cat Vocabulary: A Feline Lexicon
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
The gene most frequently altered in feline mammary tumors was FBXW7, with mutations appearing in more than half of the tumors studied.
From Science Daily • May 24, 2026
Scientists say feline cancer genetics are no longer a mystery after completing one of the largest studies ever conducted on tumors in domestic cats.
From Science Daily • May 24, 2026
Like many a cat lover, Baseman whips out a phone to share videos of his beloved feline muses.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
The production, co-directed by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, ditches the feline masquerade for a parade of costumes designed with unflagging inspiration by Qween Jean.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
But if that were the case, the feline family would also have produced cats who could do calculus, and frogs would by now have launched their own space program.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
