snaky

American  

[sney-kee] / ˈsneɪ ki /

adjective

snakier, snakiest

1. of or relating to snakes.

2. abounding in snakes, as a place.

3. snakelike; twisting, winding, or sinuous.

4. venomous; treacherous or insidious.

   a snaky remark.

5. consisting of, entwined with, or bearing a representation of snakes or serpents, as a ring.

6. Australian Informal. irritable, angry, or spiteful.

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snaky British  

/ ˈsneɪkɪ /

adjective

1. of or like a snake; sinuous

2. treacherous or insidious

3. infested with snakes

4. informal angry or bad-tempered

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Other Word Forms

• snakily adverb
• snakiness noun
• unsnaky adjective

Etymology

Origin of snaky

First recorded in 1560–70; snake + -y ¹

Example Sentences

They followed the snaky line of the River Thames inland from the North Sea, passing directly over London.

From Literature

Meet the anhinga, a large water bird with a snaky neck that has joined other high-profile vagrant birds in recent years by making a rare appearance outside of its typical migration range.

From New York Times

We’ll spell out the first few routes; after that, if you can’t figure out some snaky path of adjacent states, see this week’s Style Conversational — or just look at a U.S. map.

From Washington Post

Usually, I tracked my location counting bends in the snaky river, my time watching the clouds shift, and my fortune spotting golden eagles.

From Salon

To flip through the pages of a 13th century manuscript, one might believe the medieval era was beleaguered by more snaky dragons and man-murdering bunnies than temperamental tween girls.

From New York Times