ursine
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ursine
1540–50; < Latin ursīnus, equivalent to urs ( us ) bear + -īnus -ine 1
Explanation
Ursine means having similarities to bears. Many people think of koalas as ursine animals — but they're actually more closely related to kangaroos than bears! Ursine means to have bear-like qualities: big, furry, muscular, and lumbering. If you're using the word to describe a big, hulking football player it might be perceived as a compliment. You can also use this word to refer to actual bears. You might, for instance, study the ursine diet in biology class. Ursine originated back in the 16th century, from the Latin word for — you guessed it — "bear."
Vocabulary lists containing ursine
A Lexical Zoo of Animal Adjectives
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Animal Adjectives
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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
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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.
"Much like those genteel, ursine escapades, Wonka is old-fashioned, cinematic magic writ large," she said in her four-star review.
From BBC • Dec. 5, 2023
Two other zones in the park’s western half, Liberty Square and Adventureland, were also shut down due to the ursine intruder, according to park fan site WDWMAGIC.
From Washington Times • Sep. 19, 2023
Army’s and Air Force’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson — a wooded facility so well-known for its ursine visitors it is nicknamed J-BEAR.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2023
As Ed Asner's ursine editor found himself back in the day, Samantha is a fox in an unfamiliar den, starting over in a new city and new culture with different rules and feelings about Americans.
From Salon • Jul. 2, 2023
In the northern sky, for example, there is a pattern, or constellation, that looks a little ursine.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
