owlish

[ou-lish]

adjective

1. resembling or characteristic of an owl.

   His thick glasses give him an owlish appearance.

ˈowlish

/ ˈaʊlɪʃ /

adjective

1. like an owl

2. solemn and wise in appearance

Other Word Forms

• owlishly adverb
• owlishness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of owlish¹

First recorded in 1605–15; owl + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

For many, the owlish but hard-driving Socialist and Catholic was simply “Mr. Europe.”

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And when deploying adaptation clips, the filmmaker wisely sticks to Alec Guinness’ perfectly owlish Smiley.

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Short and thick-bodied, dressed in a bespoke suit and round, owlish glasses, Leo looked like a character from an Agatha Christie mystery.

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A cattleman with owlish glasses and a pinched smile, the real Hale had nurtured such close relations with the local Native American population that he was revered, Grann writes, “as King of the Osage Hills.”

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Nellie is a “short, owlish woman. … almost dwarfed by the enormous bouquet of white lilies and pink roses that was thrust into her arms.”

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