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A snake moves by curving and winding along the ground. Roads through the Pyrenees, the mountains that separate Spain from France, tend to be serpentine, curving back and forth on themselves up and down the steep slopes. Serpentine has other meanings as well. As a noun, it's the name for a soft green mineral, and also for the party streamers you might throw at midnight on New Year's Eve. The serpentine belt under the hood in your car is the long, looping belt that most of the car's accessories—the AC, the power steering, the alternator, and so on—depend on to get their power.
Synonyms
Examples of serpentine in a Sentence
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
In the final section, alone on the stage and convulsed with the horror of her deeds, Williams brought down the house with her writhing agony, at one point feeding into her mouth a serpentine red tape (the counterpart of Ariadne’s thread).
—Christopher Benfey, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2023
The latest wave will include serpentine sofas, curvaceous accent chairs, and all other forms of furniture, plus an infusion of architectural arches: windows, doors, and hallways.
—Tatjana Freund, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 Aug. 2023
Investigators are asking anyone who was in the area of the serpentine trail of Soldiers Delight Overlook between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Tues.
—Lilly Price, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2023
Thanks to its serpentine anatomy, this new space explorer can go forward and backward in a straight line, slither like a snake, move its entire body like a windshield wiper, curl itself into a circle, and lift its head and tail.
—Gina Errico, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
Adding to his confidence, his first Cup Series win came at the serpentine track in New York’s Finger Lakes region.
—Mark Long, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023
Curvy couches soften more angular features and give a sense of serpentine movement.
—Amanda Long, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023
Royalton Road On July 1, police observed a red Lexus weaving in a serpentine fashion along Royalton Road.
—John Benson, cleveland, 1 Aug. 2023
Briana Miller | , oregonlive, 11 Sep. 2023
Bangkok's main lifeline is the serpentine Chao Phraya River, and along its banks are some of the city's top luxury hotels, oldest neighborhoods, and biggest tourist attractions.
—Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2023
The dining room area, for example, pairs a serpentine chandelier by Frederik Molenschot with a neon yellow painting by Tishan Hsu.
—Helena Madden, ELLE Decor, 1 Sep. 2023
Mermaids almost always appear as half human, half fish (or other aquatic/serpentine animals).
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2023
Every actor’s career follows its own serpentine route to a final bow.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2023
The necklace is composed of triangular motifs that reference serpentine scales.
—Laura Casey, WSJ, 30 May 2023
California, like the great American West, was largely built on violence — violence to not just the land, but also the native people of the land. :: Before Jedediah Smith, an American frontiersman who arrived in the 1820s, this land of redwoods, spruce and serpentine was known as Yan’-daa-k’vt.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2021
Gang and her team, working with structural engineers at Thornton Tomasetti, inserted a serpentine, origami-like concrete roof that, like a river of light, draws visitors in and through the building’s lofty atrium and toward its galleries.
—Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 5 May 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'serpentine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Adjective
Middle English, from Anglo-French serpentin, from Late Latin serpentinus, from Latin serpent-, serpens
Noun (2)
Middle English, from Anglo-French serpentin, Medieval Latin serpentina, serpentinum, from Late Latin, feminine & neuter of serpentinus resembling a serpent
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (1)
1519, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near serpentine
Cite this Entry
“Serpentine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serpentine. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
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serpentine
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on serpentine
Britannica English: Translation of serpentine for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about serpentine
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