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Glite Dictionary
clawlike

clawlike

1 5.4
Something that has the shape of a claw, like a bird's talon
  • adjective
  • /ˈklɔːˌlaɪk/
translation icon : en forma de garra
  • She was a stylish, silk-clad skeleton of a woman with clawlike hands, which she stretched toward Delia beseechingly.
  • clawlike hand
  • clawlike fingers

Examples

  • I expect you know about tarsal segments: the tiny hairs with clawlike structures that grip microscopic irregularities on an apparently smooth surface.

    The Phoenician Scheme (2025)

  • "She sighed, gesturing irritably with a clawlike hand.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Hands gripped him from behind, scaly hands, clawlike hands, and hair coarse as straw blew across his face.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • "Flora made a scornful gesture with a clawlike hand cured by the Florida sun into pemmican.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • "Did all your trainers die, Master Ob, or did you simply discard them before it was too late?" Ob slumped to the carpeted floor, his fingers clenched in a clawlike grasp.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The boss grips the boy's neck in his clawlike hand and walks him to the door.

  • Below us, the clawlike fingers of the Musandam Peninsula glow orange with the setting sun.

  • Hands gripped him from behind, scaly hands, clawlike hands, and hair coarse as straw blew across his face.

Synonyms

claw-shaped
vsclawlike
4.2

Having a curved, pointed shape like a claw

focuses on general resemblance or shared features rather than only shape
unguiculated
vsclawlike
  • Specialized
9.9

Having parts shaped like claws, as in some paws or flower petals

is broader indicating resemblance in shape or traits rather than actual appendages
unguiculate
vsclawlike
  • Specialized
9.9

Having nails or parts shaped like claws

is the general description of resemblance or shape and not limited to biology
clawed
vsclawlike
3.3

Having sharp, curved nails like a cat or bird that grab and scratch

emphasizes resemblance or shape rather than possession of actual hooked parts
ungual
vsclawlike
  • Specialized
9.9

Relating to the nails, claws, or hooves of animals

is specific to hooked appendage shape and features rather than general nail relations

Antonyms

clawless
3.5

Having no sharp nails on the feet or hands

Surface Forms

clawlike positive

Morphology

clawlike = claw (transparent) = claw + like

Clearly formed from the noun 'claw' plus the productive adjectival suffix '-like' meaning 'resembling', so the meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Clawlike comes from the simple word claw (the curved, sharp nail on a bird or animal's foot) and the ending -like, which means 'similar to'. So clawlike means 'looking like a claw' or 'having the shape of a claw', which is why we use it for fingers, talons, or objects that are sharp and curved.