Meaning & use
doggish
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparableliteraryold-fashioned
behaving in a way that is typical of a dog, especially in being fierce, dirty, or eager to please.
Grammar: Describes a person or quality directly: a doggish look. It is not used with 'more' or 'most'.
Patterns
- doggish behavior
- a doggish look
He gave her a doggish grin and waited for her to throw the ball.
There was something doggish about the way he followed his boss around.
adjectivenot comparableliteraryold-fashioned
looking like or resembling a dog in appearance.
Grammar: Used mainly before a noun: a doggish face.
Patterns
- a doggish face
- doggish features
The mask had a long, doggish snout that frightened the children.
His doggish features made him easy to recognize in the crowd.
Common combinations
- doggish behavior
- His doggish behavior at the party embarrassed his wife.
- a doggish look
- She shot him a doggish look that said 'please'.
- doggish loyalty
- His doggish loyalty to the manager was almost funny.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dog-like
- More neutral and common; it simply means 'like a dog' without the old-fashioned or slightly negative feel of 'doggish'.
- canine
- Technical and neutral, used mostly in science or medicine; 'doggish' is more about behavior and character.
Word family
Commonly confused: doggish or dogged? doggish or doggie?
doggish vs dogged
'Dogged' means stubbornly determined, while 'doggish' means dog-like. They look similar but have very different meanings.
doggish vs doggie
'Doggie' is a child's word for a dog; 'doggish' is an adjective describing dog-like behavior or appearance.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'doggish' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Doggish' is an adjective meaning dog-like, so it can describe 'loyalty'. Option A uses it like an adverb; option C uses it as a noun for the animal; option D uses it as an adverb of frequency.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “doggish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.