vampirish

V4A1M3P3I1R1I1S1H4
UK/ˈvampʌɪɹɪʃ/

adjective

Pertaining to a vampire, characteristic of a vampire; photophobic, parasitic etc.

First used 19th c.Scrabble 19

Meanings

adjectivevampirish (comparative more vampirish, superlative most vampirish)

comparative more vampirish · superlative most vampirish

  1. Pertaining to a vampire, characteristic of a vampire; photophobic, parasitic etc.First known use 19th c.

    The "N. Khodataev Group" is credited with the 1927 "We'll Keep Our Eyes Peeled," about the mounting threat of war, at least as perceived by the Soviets, from the vampirish capitalists of Western Europe.

    2007 March 13, Dave Kehr, “New DVDs”, in New York Times
    2 more examples

    In London, when the pasty light of dawn had stained the ceiling above the curtain pole, he would listen with vampirish panic to the squealing and rumbling of distant juggernauts, and then to the nearby whining of a milkcart, and eventually to the slamming doors of cars bearing children to school, or real men to work in factories and banks.

    1994, Edward St Aubyn, Bad News, Picador, published 2006, page 227

    Flaherty based the vampirish character – secretly the sideline of SCTV news anchor Floyd Robertson – on an actual 1950s horror host from his native Pittsburgh, KDKA-TV's "Igor," similarly depicted by moonlighting staff announcer George Eisenhauer.

    2009 February 17, Rob Salem, “Disc an homage to horror hosts”, in Toronto Star

Origin

  1. Frenchvampire
  2. Englishvampire
  3. Englishvampirish

From vampire + -ish.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

vampirish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vampirish

MLA

“vampirish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vampirish. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vampirish,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vampirish.

Source: vampirish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.