owlish

adjective

owl·​ish ˈau̇-lish How to pronounce owlish (audio)
: resembling or suggesting an owl
owlishly adverb
owlishness noun

Examples of owlish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
An owlish owner who happens to know what’s in that teetering tower by the door. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2023 The man in the white leisure suit and owlish glasses appeared at my desk, seeking a newspaper article about his religious group. Dallas News, 19 Jan. 2023 Childres, who has a slight and somewhat owlish figure, and the squint of a medieval illuminator, had recently completed a Ph.D. in physics at Purdue University. Sean Michaels, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2022 Allawi, a 73-year-old former banker and Oxford don with an air of owlish gravitas, started off with the usual bureaucratic niceties: a gracious thank-you to the prime minister, an assurance that the country’s finances were in relatively decent shape. Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2022 And Owen Teague, as James, makes his owlish quietude felt. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 25 Mar. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of owlish was in 1596

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Owlish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/owlish. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

owlish

adjective
owl·​ish ˈau̇-lish How to pronounce owlish (audio)
: resembling or suggesting an owl
owlishly adverb
owlishness noun
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