What does crowlike mean?
Crowlike is a descriptive adjective meaning resembling a crow, whether in appearance, sound, or manner. Applied physically, it suggests features associated with the bird: glossy black coloring, sharp hooked contours, or a gaunt, angular frame. Applied to sound, it evokes the crow's rough, cawing call, so a crowlike laugh or voice is one that is harsh or grating. Figuratively, the word can carry the crow's long-standing cultural baggage as an omen of misfortune, lending descriptions a gloomy or foreboding tone. Formed transparently from the noun 'crow' and the productive suffix '-like', it requires little explanation to English readers, yet it remains relatively uncommon, appearing chiefly in literary and journalistic prose where a vivid image matters more than plain wording. Writers reach for it when 'black' or 'dark' alone feels too vague; it bundles color, shape, sound, and mood into a single economical modifier.
adjectiveResembling a crow, especially in appearance, sound, or manner. By extension, suggesting the crow's traditional associations: harshness of voice or an ominous, foreboding quality.
- Resembling a crow in appearance, such as glossy black plumage, a hooked beak, or gaunt dark features.
- Suggestive of a crow's harsh, cawing cry or grating vocal quality.
- Carrying the crow's figurative associations: an ominous, gloomy, or scavenging character.
"A thin, crowlike figure perched on the fence, watching the field with sharp black eyes."
"The old woman had a crowlike profile, all sharp angles beneath a hood of grey hair."
"His crowlike laugh rattled across the quiet courtyard."
One letter separates 'cowlike' from 'crowlike' — swap the c-o-w for a c-r-o-w and you trade gentle grazing for a harsh caw and a reputation for ill omen.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crowlike
Crowlike is a modern English compound formed from 'crow' — a native Old English word (crāwe), cognate with Dutch kraai and German Krähe — combined with the suffix '-like'. The underlying bird name traces back through Proto-Germanic to an imitative root echoing the animal's call. As a transparent formation, crowlike has no independent etymological history beyond its parts.
How crowlike is actually used
Crowlike is a rare compound adjective formed transparently from 'crow' plus '-like'; it appears mostly in literary description rather than everyday speech. It is usually neutral-to-negative in connotation: physical descriptions may simply note resemblance to the bird, while references to sound or temperament often carry the crow's darker folkloric associations with omens and death.
Easily confused with crowlike
Cowlike means resembling a cow (docile, bovine), whereas crowlike means resembling a crow — the two differ by a single letter but describe entirely different animals and qualities.