owlish

[ou-lish]

adjective

resembling or characteristic of an owl: His thick glasses give him an owlish appearance.

Origin of owlish

First recorded in 1605–15; owl + -ish¹

Related formsowl·ish·ly, adjectiveowl·ish·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for owlish

Contemporary Examples of owlish

Here we see the well-known face, a bearded mask housing a pair of glowing, owlish eyes, the hair and forehead flecked with blood.
The Shroud of Turin and Thomas de Wesselow’s ‘The Sign.’
Thomas de Wesselow
April 3, 2012
In his haste to flee, he had dropped his owlish horn rims, his wallet, and false teeth.
The Killing of Guerrilla Leader Boosts Violence-Weary Colombia
Mac Margolis
November 13, 2011

Historical Examples of owlish

They looked at us with commiseration; one of them sweetly, the other with his owlish fixity.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
The owlish glasses focused with noncommittal stoicism in its direction.
Erik Dorn
Ben Hecht
They were all round and owlish, and they thickened up in middle life.
Old Crow
Alice Brown
Some motive they have for all their clamor, but it passes my owlish wisdom to guess what it can be.
A Florida Sketch-Book
Bradford Torrey
She washed the baby in it, and he stared at her all the time, with big, owlish eyes.
Fairies and Folk of Ireland
William Henry Frost

British Dictionary definitions for owlish

owlish

adjective

like an owl

solemn and wise in appearance

Derived Formsowlishly, adverbowlishness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for owlish

adj.

1610s, from owl + -ish. Related: Owlishly; owlishness.