feline
Americanadjective
-
belonging or pertaining to the cat family, Felidae.
-
catlike; characteristic of animals of the cat family.
a feline tread.
-
sly, stealthy, or treacherous.
noun
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felines
plural
adjective
-
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)
-
resembling or suggestive of a cat, esp in stealth or grace
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Fellow volunteer Aurelie Zucchello, from a local cat charity, stroked a purring ginger feline.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
The thing’s Cheshire feline grin even made Satsuki a little nervous.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Many couples say their marriage hinges on one party coming around to their spouse’s feline friends, which can mean dealing with severe rashes, smelly litter boxes and early wakeups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
The production’s radical concept brings the queer audacity of Harlem Ballroom culture to these feline proceedings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
He lay staring into the feline eyes, great twin pools of turquoise flecked with gold.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
When Frankie and Molly begin to communicate with their cats, the felines are voiced by Seth Rogen and Kumail Nanjiani.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
One piece of good news was that 25 felines from a "cat cafe" inside the mall were rescued and transferred to Hiroshima, triggering widespread relief on social media.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
"Will Benjamin Button carry the rings, or will Olivia have them?" he wondered, of Swift's favourite felines.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Hunters pay big money to enter the grounds, but they are given express instructions to focus on deer and partridge, and leave the felines well alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
These “cat treats” were an abomination, but they had clearly been engineered to appeal to the weak constitutions of Earth felines.
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
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.
