American
[vuhl-pahyn, -pin] / ˈvʌl paɪn, -pɪn /
adjective
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of or resembling a fox.
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cunning or crafty.
vulpine British
/ ˈvʌlpaɪn /
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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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.
Keep Reading on Vocabulary.comVocabulary lists containing vulpine
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See Examples For:
vulpine
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
In the second story, Chick asks why Fox doesn’t follow a typical vulpine diet and chicksplains to him what proper foxes eat.
From New York Times ● Jun. 29, 2018
Rosenberg’s vulpine versatility produces quick changes of tone.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 27, 2018
Tally turned away from the vulpine eyes, shut out the razor- blade voice.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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.