tigerish
Americanadjective
-
tigerlike, as in strength, fierceness, courage, or coloration.
-
fiercely cruel; bloodthirsty; relentless.
Other Word Forms
- tigerishly adverb
- tigerishness noun
Etymology
Origin of tigerish
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 gross domestic product per capita on par with Japan and a stagnant population, South Korea’s tigerish growth days are behind it.
From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025
Ms. Graves “was a tigerish ‘Choleric,’” Jennifer Dunning wrote in a 1987 review in The Times, “with those long, powerful arms of hers coming into play in the ballet’s final moments.”
From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2024
That said, no man can resist her dark, magnetic eyes while her impulsive, passionate nature sometimes seems tigerish.
From Washington Post • Oct. 29, 2019
“Seidel would have given us the makers of Auden’s tigerish blazer and dovelike shoe,” he writes, “but he was never impressed enough that Auden didn’t.”
From Slate • Apr. 10, 2015
There was no tigerish growl now in his tormentor’s voice.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
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.
