vulpine
Americanadjective
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of or resembling a fox.
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cunning or crafty.
adjective
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Also: vulpecular. of, relating to, or resembling a fox
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possessing the characteristics often attributed to foxes; crafty, clever, etc
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.
Vocabulary lists containing vulpine
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Animal Adjectives
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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.
And now, for the first time, a specimen has been successfully GPS-collared and released back into the region — marking a major victory for conservation efforts to protect the elusive vulpine.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026
Bovine is to cow as vulpine is to which animal?
From Slate • Sep. 11, 2023
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
Rosenberg’s vulpine versatility produces quick changes of tone.
From The New Yorker • Jun. 27, 2018
His speech was slow and mellow, measured and unexcited, his gestures were wide, and new teeth gave him a vulpine smile out of all proportion to his emotion.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
