Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Resembling or characteristic of a wolf: Having the qualities, appearance, or behavior typically associated with a wolf.
   • Ravenously hungry; devouring food greedily: Characterized by an intense, often animalistic craving or consumption of food.

Usage

• The primary use of "wolfish" is as a descriptive adjective. It can describe a person's appearance (e.g., sharp features, keen gaze), their behavior (e.g., predatory, aggressive), or their appetite.
• It often carries negative connotations of greed, ferocity, or predatory intent.

Examples

• Describing appearance or character:
  • He flashed a wolfish grin that made her uneasy.
  • The old portrait showed a man with a lean, wolfish face.
• Describing appetite or hunger:
  • After the long hike, they fell upon their meal with wolfish enthusiasm.
  • She felt a wolfish hunger after skipping lunch.

Advanced Usage

• "Wolfish charm": A type of attractive but potentially dangerous or insincere charm.
  • The salesman used his wolfish charm to close the deal.
• "Wolfish eyes": Eyes that are keen, watchful, or predatory in appearance.
  • The guard watched the crowd with wolfish eyes.

Variants and Related Words

• Wolfishly (adverb): In a manner resembling a wolf.
  • He grinned wolfishly.
• Wolfishness (noun): The quality of being wolfish.
  • The wolfishness of his appetite was astonishing.

Synonyms

• Predatory: Seeking to exploit or prey on others.
• Rapacious: Excessively greedy, especially for money or possessions.
• Ravenous: Extremely hungry.
• Voracious: Wanting or consuming great quantities of something (can apply to food or non-food items like reading).
• Feral: Resembling a wild animal, especially in being savage or untamed.

Antonyms

• Gentle: Mild, kind, or soft in manner or appearance.
• Meek: Quiet, gentle, and submissive.
• Tame: Not dangerous or frightened of people; domesticated.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "To wolf down food" (phrasal verb): To eat something very quickly and greedily. This phrase shares the same root imagery as "wolfish."
  • He wolfed down his sandwich in three bites.
• "A wolf in sheep's clothing" (idiom): A person who hides malicious intent behind a harmless facade. This idiom relates to the deceptive or predatory nature often implied by "wolfish."
  • Be careful of him; he's a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Adjective

1. devouring or craving food in great quantities
   • edacious vultures
   • a rapacious appetite
   • ravenous as wolves
   • voracious sharks
2. resembling or characteristic (or considered characteristic) of a wolf
   • ran in wolflike packs
   • wolfish rapacity