vulpine

American  

[vuhl-pahyn, -pin] / ˈvʌl paɪn, -pɪn /

adjective

1. of or resembling a fox.

2. cunning or crafty.

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vulpine British  

/ ˈvʌlpaɪn /

adjective

1. Also: vulpecular.  of, relating to, or resembling a fox

2. possessing the characteristics often attributed to foxes; crafty, clever, etc

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Etymology

Origin of vulpine

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin vulpīnus, equivalent to vulp(ēs) “fox” + -īnus adjective suffix; see origin at -ine ¹; from the same root as Greek alṓpēx and alōpós “fox”

Explanation

You may encounter a vulpine smile, a vulpine movie director, or a vulpine laugh — whatever it is, be on guard. The word vulpine describes something that is crafty like a fox. The word vulpine traces back to the word vulpes, the Latin word for “fox,” and the word can be used literally to describe something directly related to a fox. Nowadays, however, you’re more likely to hear it used to describe something that has the characteristics of a fox. Many cultures associate the fox with cunning and shrewdness, and the word vulpine has come to be used to describe something that has a crafty, intelligent, slightly predatory quality.

Example Sentences

His voice could convey flirtatiousness, amusement, heartache or wily agility, and his syncopated phrasing was as close to jazz as to traditional blues, leaping easily into falsetto or letting loose a vulpine howl.

From New York Times • Dec. 31, 2022

‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ George Clooney is at his vulpine best as the voice of the titular woodland critter in Wes Anderson’s stop-motion-animated 2009 charmer based on the Roald Dahl children’s novel.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2021

Wrote Frank: “I hope having to replace papers doesn’t negatively affect The Post’s financial status. Maybe The Post should consider expanding to this vulpine demographic and accepting payments in the form of rodent carcasses.”

From Washington Post • Aug. 4, 2021

A slim, pale, vulpine man in his mid-thirties, with well-tended light-brown hair and a goatee, came onstage, dressed in a trim black suit and a black shirt.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 30, 2019

She is younger than I am, tall, slim, dark-haired, pretty in a sharp-featured, vulpine sort of way.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins