adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of serrated
Explanation
A serrated edge is jagged. When a knife is described as having a serrated blade, its edge is lined with small teeth, similar to a saw's. It will cut tomatoes, bread, and meat more effectively than a smooth-edged blade. The adjective serrated comes from the Latin word serratus, meaning “notched like a saw.” Most often, it is swords and knives that are described as serrated, but some leaves, like those of the Ash and Maple trees, as well as certain flower petals, like carnations and some tulips, also have serrated edges. Great White sharks have serrated teeth so they can more easily rip the flesh of their prey. Yum.
Vocabulary lists containing serrated
Into Thin Air
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Thirteen Reasons Why
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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.
With its blend of serrated alt-rock guitars and sleek machine rhythms, Garbage always sounded a little ahead of its time when the band broke out in the post-grunge mid-’90s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Worse still, it's at odds with the serrated edges of Abrams' lyrics.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Much larger harvester ants stand nearby with their serrated jaws open, appearing vulnerable.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 14, 2026
The same company has revived it at its Broadway house, the Hayes Theater, in a crisply staged and terrifically acted production directed by Trip Cullman that keeps the play’s serrated edges as cutting as ever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
My mother went on eating her half grapefruit with her special serrated spoon, and I looked back at Mrs. Baylor and caught her with her head bowed and smiling to herself.
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
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.
