leonine
adjective
of or relating to the lion.
leonine
American
[lee-uh-nahyn]
/ ˈli əˌnaɪn /
adjective
-
of or relating to the lion.
We breathlessly watched the pride, in its leonine majesty, as it moved across the veldt.
-
resembling or suggestive of a lion.
the conductor's wild, leonine hair.
-
(usually initial capital letter) of or relating to Leo, especially Leo IV or Leo XIII.
Leonine
1
British
/ ˈliːəˌnaɪn /
adjective
-
connected with one of the popes called Leo
-
a district of Rome on the right bank of the Tiber fortified by Pope Leo IV
-
of or relating to certain prayers in the Mass prescribed by Pope Leo XIII
noun
leonine
2
British
/ ˈliːəˌnaɪn /
adjective
Etymology
Origin of leonine
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English leonyn, from Latin leōnīnus “lionlike,” equivalent to leōn- (stem of leō) + -īnus; see origin at lion, -ine 1
Explanation
If you are leonine you resemble a lion in either good or bad ways. Lions are both feared and loved. They are kings of the jungle, agile merciless majestic hunters. If you have leonine courage, you are as strong and brave as a lion. However, if you have a leonine mane, that might suggest that you're having a bad hair day.
Vocabulary lists containing leonine
A Lexical Zoo of Animal Adjectives
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Animal Adjectives
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"A Horseman in the Sky" by Ambrose Bierce
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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:
He comes to the Proms with the Dutch Concertgebouw Orchestra, to play Mahler's leonine fifth symphony.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2025
What looked on the picture to be a long, leonine dangling tail with a bob at the end could have been a shadow cast by vegetation.
From Reuters ● Jul. 21, 2023
Encountering again the fuzz and warmth of Mandela’s leonine tones, Stengel realized something: He had a podcast on his hands.
From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2022
The series was created by American writer David Jenkins and produced by the prolific Taika Waititi, who also stars as Blackbeard, to whom he brings a leonine grace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2022
Its body was leonine, but its face, furred and matted with dirt, had human eyes and a human nose and mouth.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Mr. Davis is the founder of the Leonine Project and was the inaugural executive director of the New York Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Led by Fred Kogel, Munich-based Leonine was formed in 2019 through the merger of several German media production and distribution companies, such as Tele München Group, Universum Film, i&u TV and Wiedemann & Berg Film.
From Reuters ● Nov. 28, 2023
Dwyer is also a fellow in the Leonine Forum, a conservative-leaning group of elite Catholic young professionals that meets for monthly religious discussions.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2018
According to the journalist who received them, the butler was part of a broader network of Vatican employees and officials bent on exposing corruption and cronyism beyond the Leonine Walls.
From Economist ● Feb. 14, 2013
Curious and exquisite experiment in metre is indicated in the Leonine Elegiacs, in Claribel, and several other poems.
From Alfred Tennyson by Andrew Lang
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.
