froglike

1 4.1

Having the look or movement of a frog

adjective
/ˈfrɔɡˌlaɪk/

: anfibio

Nigel remembered feeling momentarily quite proud that though he was stumbling in a strange, hopping, froglike sort of way, his hands skipping along the ground, propelling him forward if not upright, he hadn't yet fallen flat on his face.

Examples

"Well, bravo!" grunted Olmstead, his froglike face beaming with sardonic appreciation.

Fiction book (1995)
The figure squats froglike on a boulder, a collapsed pictorial depth making him appear smaller than human size.

Academic text (2003)
Tarp asked the obvious question: "What's he gonna do if he doesn't get to be king?" At this moment, Mr. Mo proved that he had one other froglike characteristic.

Fiction book (2001)
The artist's sculpture featured a froglike creature with bulging eyes and a wide mouth.
As she walked through the garden, she noticed a small, froglike animal perched on the lily pad.
He moved in a froglike manner, crouching low and leaping forward with ease.

Synonyms

froggy

vsfroglike

5 7.3

Looking or acting like a small green animal with big eyes and feet for swimming

is neutral in tone and focuses on similarity in appearance and movement

froggish

vsfroglike

1 7.9

Looking or acting like a frog

includes similarity in movement as well as appearance and manner

How Froglike

froglike

1 4.1

froggish

1 7.9

froggy

5 7.3

Surface Forms

froglike positive

Morphology

froglike = frog (transparent) = frog + like

Standard adjectival formation with '-like' meaning 'resembling', so learners who know 'frog' will readily infer 'froglike'.

Etymology

Froglike comes from the animal frog and the ending -like, which means 'similar to'. Imagine something with big eyes, short legs, or a strong jump, so 'froglike' means 'looking or moving like a frog'.