reptilian

[ rep-til-ee-uh n, -til-yuh n ]

/ rɛpˈtɪl i ən, -ˈtɪl yən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reptilian ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the Reptilia.

groveling, debased, or despicable; contemptible.

mean; treacherous; harmful.

noun

a reptile.

Nearby words

rept., reptant, reptile, reptiles, reptilia, reptilian, reptilium, repton, repub., republic, republic of china

Origin of reptilian

1840–50; < New Latin Reptili(a) reptiles (plural of rēptile, neuter of Late Latin rēptilis; see reptile) + -an

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

Examples from the Web for reptilian

Still, Spacey endows Frank with a reptilian intelligence, a cunning that gives him an edge over everyone he encounters.
David Fincher, Beau Willimon & Kate Mara On Netflix’s ‘House of Cards’|Jace Lacob|January 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But when meets Nixon and they discuss football in the back of a limousine, he is able to humanize the reptilian president.
What 10 Books to Read for the Election Season: Cicero, Vidal and More|David Masciotra|September 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
We have already seen that the embryonic bird has the long tail of his reptilian ancestor.
The Whence and the Whither of Man|John Mason Tyler
In the Triassic period the exuberance of reptilian life which marked the Permian was continued.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)|J. Arthur Thomson

A rope had upheld a colossal, leering, reptilian head while men with rifles posed self-consciously beside the dead creature.
The Fifth-Dimension Tube|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
In the Triassic occur the first mammalia with conical, round, reptilian teeth.
Degeneracy|Eugene S. Talbot
At such times he might hear a crashing and splashing and see a reptilian head loom gigantically at him through the fog.
The Red Hell of Jupiter|Paul Ernst

British Dictionary definitions for reptilian

reptilian

/ (rɛpˈtɪlɪən) /

adjective

of, relating to, resembling, or characteristic of reptiles

mean or treacherous; contemptiblereptilian behaviour

noun

a less common name for reptile

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

Science definitions for reptilian

reptilian

[ rĕp-tĭl′ē-ən ]

Relating to or characteristic of reptiles.

reptilian

adjective

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of reptilian

Examples from the Web for reptilian

British Dictionary definitions for reptilian

reptilian

adjective

noun

Science definitions for reptilian

reptilian