adj
Meaning 1
Of, like, or pertaining to a wolf.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lupine, wolfy, wolflike
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
wolfish
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈwʊlfiʃ/
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/ˈwʊlviʃ/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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homophone: Woolfish
adj
Meaning 2
Of, like, or pertaining to a wolf.
Suggestive or characteristic of a wolf.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- a wolfish appetite
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lupine, wolfy, wolflike
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Fierce; menacing; savage.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: barbaric, barbarous, truculent, animalistic, barbarian, barbarious, brutal, brutish, Gothic, Gothlike, grim, heathen, heathenish, heathenly, heathenous, incivil, pagan, savage, tenebrose, uncivil, uncivilized, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, uplandish, wolfish
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 4
resembling or characteristic (or considered characteristic) of a wolf
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- ran in wolflike packs
- wolfish rapacity
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: wolflike
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
devouring or craving food in great quantities
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- edacious vultures
- a rapacious appetite
- ravenous as wolves
- voracious sharks
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: edacious, esurient, rapacious, ravening, ravenous, voracious
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wl̥kwós? Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kwos Proto-Germanic *wulfaz Proto-West Germanic *wulf Old English wulf Middle English wolf English wolf Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -ish English -ish English wolfish From wolf + -ish.
Across languages
Translations
19 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: въ́лчи (vǎ́lči) — pertaining to wolves
- Finnish: suden- — pertaining to wolves
- Finnish: susi- — pertaining to wolves
- French: lupin — pertaining to wolves
- French: louvesque — pertaining to wolves
- Russian: во́лчий (vólčij) — pertaining to wolves
- Ukrainian: во́вчий (vóvčyj) — pertaining to wolves
- Bulgarian: въ́лчи (vǎ́lči) — having the characteristics or habits of a wolf
- Finnish: suden- — having the characteristics or habits of a wolf
- Finnish: susimainen — having the characteristics or habits of a wolf
- French: de loup — having the characteristics or habits of a wolf
- French: louvesque — having the characteristics or habits of a wolf
- Polish: wilczy — having the characteristics or habits of a wolf
- Russian: во́лчий (vólčij) — having the characteristics or habits of a wolf
- Bulgarian: въ́лчи (vǎ́lči) — fierce, menacing, savage
- Finnish: petomainen — fierce, menacing, savage
- French: menaçant — fierce, menacing, savage
- French: féroce — fierce, menacing, savage
- French: sauvage — fierce, menacing, savage