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Meaning & use

vulpine

adjective·Advancedliterary

Last updated

UK/ˈvʌlpaɪn/
US/ˈvʌlpaɪn/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Of or like a fox, in appearance or in the way a fox is thought to behave.

    Grammar: Almost always placed before a noun: a vulpine smile.

    Patterns

    • vulpine + noun

    The detective's vulpine face broke into a thin smile.

    A vulpine grin crossed the salesman's face.

    The old zoologist studied vulpine behavior for decades.

  2. adjectivecomparablefigurativeliterary

    Clever in a sly or tricky way, as a fox is imagined to be.

    Grammar: Used figuratively for people; it can follow be: his cunning was vulpine.

    Patterns

    • vulpine cunning

    The lawyer's vulpine cunning won him every case.

    She had a vulpine instinct for other people's weaknesses.

Word forms

comparativemore vulpine
superlativemost vulpine

Common combinations

vulpine smile
The banker gave a vulpine smile and slid the contract across.
vulpine features
He had sharp, vulpine features and narrow eyes.
vulpine cunning
The negotiator's vulpine cunning surprised everyone.
vulpine grin
A vulpine grin spread over the thief's face.
vulpine eyes
Her vulpine eyes followed every move.

Synonyms and how they differ

foxy
Foxy is informal and can mean attractive or sly, while vulpine is formal and mainly means sly.
cunning
Cunning is plain and general, while vulpine adds the picture of a fox.
sly
Sly is everyday and means secretly clever, with no fox imagery.
crafty
Crafty stresses skill in planning tricks, whereas vulpine can describe a look or an expression.

Opposites

naiveguileless

Word family

vulpes noun
the Latin name of the fox genus
lupine adjective
relating to wolves, a parallel animal adjective
ursine adjective
relating to bears, another parallel animal adjective
fox noun
the animal the word refers to

Commonly confused: vulpine or lupine? vulpine or vulgar?

vulpine vs lupine

Lupine describes wolves, or is a flower called lupin; vulpine describes foxes.

vulpine vs vulgar

Vulgar means rude or coarse and is unrelated to foxes.

Practice

The lawyer had a ____ smile, as though he had already tricked everyone in the room.

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