owlish

adjective

owl·​ish ˈau̇-lish How to pronounce owlish (audio)
: resembling or suggesting an owl
owlishly adverb
owlishness noun

Examples of owlish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Childres, who has a slight and somewhat owlish figure, and the squint of a medieval illuminator, had recently completed a Ph.D. in physics at Purdue University. Sean Michaels, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2022 An owlish owner who happens to know what’s in that teetering tower by the door. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2023 Allawi, a 73-year-old former banker and Oxford don with an air of owlish gravitas, started off with the usual bureaucratic niceties: a gracious thank-you to the prime minister, an assurance that the country’s finances were in relatively decent shape. Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2022 The man in the white leisure suit and owlish glasses appeared at my desk, seeking a newspaper article about his religious group. Dallas News, 19 Jan. 2023 In the painting, enormous, swooping silhouettes of owlish birds, one green and the other blue, each with wings spread wide, are creatures that display both menace and freedom. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2022 And Owen Teague, as James, makes his owlish quietude felt. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 25 Mar. 2022 Soni is forty-three, with dark hair and owlish glasses, and an air of intense curiosity. Sarah Stillman, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2021 Eugene Levy portrayed Johnny with an owlish deadpan, and Catherine O’Hara, his frequent collaborator on the Canadian sketch circuit, granted Moira a loopy flair, an unplaceable accent, and a gonzo lexicon. Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'owlish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of owlish was in 1596

Dictionary Entries Near owlish

Cite this Entry

“Owlish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/owlish. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

owlish

adjective
owl·​ish ˈau̇-lish How to pronounce owlish (audio)
: resembling or suggesting an owl
owlishly adverb
owlishness noun
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