rep·til·ian
rep-ˈti-lē-ən 
-ˈtil-yən
1
: resembling or having the characteristics of the reptiles
2
: of or relating to the reptiles
3
: cold-bloodedly treacherous
a reptilian villain—
Theodore Dreiser
Theodore DreiserExamples of reptilian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebLily Carey, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
The Skar King’s goal is to wreak havoc on Earth’s surface along with the reptilian creature Shimo, who breathes ice and could potentially create another ice age.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Some of them got pretty crazy, ranging from a cover-up of Kate’s alleged death, to a theory that the Royal Family were reptilian aliens.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 22 Mar. 2024
Seen first as a clawed, reptilian hand reaching out from under the surface of an Amazonian river, the Creature is a triumph of monster design, a humanoid with the body of a man and the head of a fish, complete with fins and cold, faraway eyes.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023
Some of Swift's Australian fans also got reptilian ink ahead of the musician's arrival in the country.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024
Despite being nested within the same branch of the tree of life, legless, lengthy, and slithering snakes–capable of unhinging their jaws and delivering a venomous bite–stand out from their reptilian clade-mates.
—Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
When the specimen was discovered, researchers thought the fossil might provide a rare glimpse into reptilian evolution.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024
The reptilian giant found in England’s Stonesfield quarry needed a name.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2024
These negative loops are, after all, how our reptilian brains respond to strife and potential conflict.
—Susan Callender, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
But previous fossil discoveries, as well as other specimens of the same creature, can help researchers arrive at a greater understanding of the strange-looking reptilian predator, which is difficult to compare to any modern-day species.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024
Also in the picture are Lou’s deplorable brother-in-law JJ ( Palo Alto native Dave Franco, nearly unrecognizable) who beats his wife Beth (Jena Malone), and Lou’s bug-loving, long-haired daddy Lou Sr. (a reptilian Ed Harris), who runs a shooting range.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
But understanding the evolution of these scaly vertebrates depends on what paleontologists unearth in the fossil record, and the diversity of the earliest reptilian animals is still a knowledge gap researchers are trying to fill.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024
For the first century of dinosaur science, paleontologists imagined titanosaurs as giant, overgrown reptiles – and used reptilian growth rates to predict their milestones.
—Kristi Curry Rogers, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024
Bring awareness to judgmental thinking and accept that judging is our reptilian brain doing its job.
2.
—Hylke Faber, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
The man who set off a bomb in Nashville that damaged 41 buildings in 2020 believed that reptilian aliens were running the world.
—Keith Kloor, Scientific American, 9 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Read More: Reptiles And Amphibians Could Hold The Secret To Longevity
Exploring How Lizards Communicate
Even as research on reptile socialization continues to build, the stereotypes around reptilian emotions have persisted to this day.
—Lily Carey, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
The Skar King’s goal is to wreak havoc on Earth’s surface along with the reptilian creature Shimo, who breathes ice and could potentially create another ice age.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Some of them got pretty crazy, ranging from a cover-up of Kate’s alleged death, to a theory that the Royal Family were reptilian aliens.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 22 Mar. 2024
Seen first as a clawed, reptilian hand reaching out from under the surface of an Amazonian river, the Creature is a triumph of monster design, a humanoid with the body of a man and the head of a fish, complete with fins and cold, faraway eyes.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023
Some of Swift's Australian fans also got reptilian ink ahead of the musician's arrival in the country.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024
Despite being nested within the same branch of the tree of life, legless, lengthy, and slithering snakes–capable of unhinging their jaws and delivering a venomous bite–stand out from their reptilian clade-mates.
—Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
When the specimen was discovered, researchers thought the fossil might provide a rare glimpse into reptilian evolution.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024
The reptilian giant found in England’s Stonesfield quarry needed a name.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024
Noun
To perform this semi-annual reptilian check-up, veterinarians first had to get Myrtle into an underwater crate and hoist all 500-plus pounds of her from her home in the aquarium’s Giant Ocean Tank.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2024
These negative loops are, after all, how our reptilian brains respond to strife and potential conflict.
—Susan Callender, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
But previous fossil discoveries, as well as other specimens of the same creature, can help researchers arrive at a greater understanding of the strange-looking reptilian predator, which is difficult to compare to any modern-day species.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024
Also in the picture are Lou’s deplorable brother-in-law JJ ( Palo Alto native Dave Franco, nearly unrecognizable) who beats his wife Beth (Jena Malone), and Lou’s bug-loving, long-haired daddy Lou Sr. (a reptilian Ed Harris), who runs a shooting range.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
But understanding the evolution of these scaly vertebrates depends on what paleontologists unearth in the fossil record, and the diversity of the earliest reptilian animals is still a knowledge gap researchers are trying to fill.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024
For the first century of dinosaur science, paleontologists imagined titanosaurs as giant, overgrown reptiles – and used reptilian growth rates to predict their milestones.
—Kristi Curry Rogers, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024
Bring awareness to judgmental thinking and accept that judging is our reptilian brain doing its job.
2.
—Hylke Faber, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
The man who set off a bomb in Nashville that damaged 41 buildings in 2020 believed that reptilian aliens were running the world.
—Keith Kloor, Scientific American, 9 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reptilian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Reptilian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reptilian. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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