Meaning & use
ophidian
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounliterarytechnical
Belonging to or resembling snakes, especially in appearance or in the way something moves.
Grammar: Almost always sits before a noun: an ophidian pattern.
Patterns
- ophidian grace
- ophidian coils
The dancer moved with ophidian grace across the stage.
The ancient vase showed an ophidian pattern running around its neck.
He gave a thin, ophidian smile and said nothing.
nouncountabletechnicalbiology
A snake, or a reptile belonging to the group that includes snakes.
Grammar: Rare and scientific; used instead of snake in zoology.
Patterns
- an ophidian of the tropics
The zoo keeps a large collection of ophidians in its reptile house.
The museum specimen was an ophidian from the Amazon.
Researchers studied the venom of several ophidians.
Word forms
| plural | ophidians |
|---|
Common combinations
- ophidian grace
- She slipped through the crowd with ophidian grace.
- ophidian coils
- The sculpture twisted into ophidian coils.
- ophidian eyes
- The villain fixed her with cold, ophidian eyes.
- ophidian design
- The bracelet had an ophidian design in gold.
- ophidian movement
- The river made an ophidian movement through the valley.
Synonyms and how they differ
- snakelike
- Snakelike is the everyday term and is much more common, while ophidian sounds literary or scientific.
- serpentine
- Serpentine usually describes winding shapes such as roads and rivers, whereas ophidian refers more directly to snakes.
- sinuous
- Sinuous describes curving, flowing movement without necessarily mentioning snakes.
- reptilian
- Reptilian covers all reptiles and often suggests coldness or menace, which is broader than ophidian.
Word family
- ophidiophobia noun
- an intense fear of snakes
- ophiology noun
- the scientific study of snakes
- ophiologist noun
- a scientist who studies snakes
Commonly confused: ophidian or ophidian vs. amphibian? ophidian or ophthalmic?
ophidian vs ophidian vs. amphibian
An ophidian relates to snakes, whereas an amphibian is a frog, newt or similar animal.
ophidian vs ophthalmic
Ophthalmic relates to the eye, and it is unrelated to snakes despite a similar start.
Practice
The novelist described the thief's smooth, gliding walk as ____.
Choose one answer.
Ophidian means snakelike, which fits a smooth gliding walk. Amphibian, avian and bovine refer to frogs, birds and cattle.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ophidian”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.