viper
noun
any of several venomous Old World snakes of the genus Vipera, especially V. berus, a small snake common in northern Eurasia.
viperish
-
a word derived from
viper.
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.
Intimidating and brilliant, his Julian Sklar is by turns amusingly viperish and not quite successful at concealing the softness of age.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
In opera, with its dizzying ambitions, epic lead-times and viperish politics, the stakes are celestial — and the scale and complexity of the “Ring” ratchets everything up even further.
From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2021
Where his previous work favoured highly stylised, anti-realist acting, this has a much looser, comedy-of-manners exuberance, resulting in an ensemble of boldly raffish performances, not least from Nicholas Hoult as a viperish statesman.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 9, 2018
For all the stylish cinematic flourishes of "Birdman," what enticed her to play a viperish critic hellbent on repelling the Broadway incursion of a washed up Hollywood superhero franchise star was the story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2014
She was a harsh and tyrannous woman still, but not now openly viperish or cruel.
From The History of David Grieve by Mrs. Humphry Ward
