You can use the adjective serpentine to describe things that look like a serpent or are snakelike. Looking down at the carved riverbeds in the Grand Canyon is like looking into a basket of snakes: the serpentine twists curve throughout the canyon floor.

Not everyone likes snakes, but those who aren’t grossed out by the highly flexible bodies of serpents might enjoy using the word serpentine for things that resemble their snaky, curvy lines. Strands of hair, cracks in dry desert, and roller-coaster rides can look serpentine, and you might tangle with a serpentine hose while minding your own business and watering the plants. Sometimes serpentine even describes people who are snakelike or slippery in character.

DEFINITIONS OF: serpentine


adj resembling a serpent in form

“a serpentine wall”
snakelike, snaky
curved, curving
having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend