feline

adjective

fe·​line ˈfē-ˌlīn 

1

: of, relating to, or affecting cats or the cat family

2

: resembling a cat: such as

a

: sleekly graceful

b

: sly, treacherous

c

: stealthy

feline noun

felinely adverb

felinity

fē-ˈli-nə-tē 

noun

Did you know?

Cats have always provoked a strong reaction from humans. The Egyptians worshipped them, leaving thousands of feline mummies and idols as evidence. In the Middle Ages, felines were feared as agents of the devil, and were thought to creep around silently at night doing evil. (Notice that feline is also a noun.) The fascinating family called the Felidae includes about 40 species of superb hunters, including the lions, tigers, jaguars, cheetahs, cougars, bobcats, and lynxes, and almost all of them are smooth, silent, and independent.

Synonyms

• agile
• featly
• graceful
• gracile
• light
• light-footed
• light-foot
• lightsome
• lissome
• lissom
• lithe
• lithesome
• nimble
• spry

Examples of feline in a Sentence

They move with feline agility.

the thief was eerily feline as he moved stealthily through the darkened rooms

Recent Examples on the Web

According to Lilly, if the whiskers are more horizontal, this might indicate our feline friend is more relaxed. —Brittany Edelmann, Discover Magazine, 13 May 2024

As anyone familiar with cartoonist Jim Davis’ iconic feline character knows, Garfield doesn’t like to move around very much. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Latin felinus, from felis

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing feline

• feline distemper
• feline panleukopenia

Kids Definition

feline

1 of 2 adjective

fe·​line

ˈfē-ˌlīn

1

a

: belonging to the family of flesh-eating mammals with soft fur that includes the cats, lions, tigers, leopards, pumas, and lynxes

b

: of or resembling a cat : characteristic of cats

2

: sly sense 1, stealthy

feline

2 of 2 noun

: a feline animal : cat

Medical Definition

feline

adjective

fe·​line ˈfē-ˌlīn 

: of, relating to, or affecting cats or the family Felidae

feline noun