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The Latin word for "ape" is simia, which itself comes from simus, "snub-nosed". Simian is usually a scientific word; thus, for instance, biologists study simian viruses in the search for cures to AIDS and other diseases. But simian can be used by the rest of us to describe human behavior. Human babies often cling to their mothers in a simian way, and kids playing on a jungle gym may look like simians. But if you notice that a friend has a simian style of walking or eating bananas, it might be best not to tell him.
Examples of simian in a Sentence
Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
Then the figure pulls out that simian mask, slips it on and puts up his dukes.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
One found that a modification to the simian version of HIV spurred production of what are known as broadly neutralizing antibodies against the virus in monkeys.
—Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2024
As for the concerns about simian virus 40, the COVID vaccines do not contain SV40 proteins or any genetic material encoding them.
—Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 4 Jan. 2024
Waze, on the other hand, is a clear and present danger to every pedestrian, equestrian, simian and median on the planet.
—Brian Merchant, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2023
Brandy fixes her gaze on the mirror while repeating a series of unusual gestures, apparently mesmerized by the simian mimic who can anticipate her every move.
—Karen Wright, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Cameras on its head would stream high-definition video to its simian operator, while other sensors might include infrared and ultraviolet imaging, GPS, touch, proximity, and strain sensors, and even a radiation detector.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Sep. 2016
The lowest purchase price for one of the unamused simian cartoons was about $52,000 on Sunday.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune Crypto, 8 July 2023
Fortune Editors, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
He’s known for a wearing a monkey mask in the ring, which doubles as a tribute to Hanuman, the Hindu deity who once led an army of simians against the ancient forced of evil.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2024
The conflict between man and simian is renewed in the first trailer for 20th Century Studios‘ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
—Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Nov. 2023
Legendary special makeup effects artist Rick Baker created a Kong suit and played the titular simian in the majority of Dino de Laurentus’ 1976 feature King Kong.
—Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2023
On his own, this legendary superhero has consistently defeated boomerang-throwing bad guys, temperature-dropping supervillains, his own negative-image doppelgänger, and the toughest alpha simian in Gorilla City.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2023
Played as an arrogant idiot prince, Rogen’s instantly identifiable stoner giggle sandbags the simian’s bravado in wry fashion.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2023
But half a mile from camp, a peculiar howling echoed through the forest—almost, but not exactly, like that of a spider monkey, the largest simian in the jungle and an excellent source of meat.
—Larry Rohter, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2023
Rolling to dodge during lock-on is solid and sending a projectile back at an angry backpacked simian is always satisfying.
—Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 28 May 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'simian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Simian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simian. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
simian
1 of 2 adjective
simian
2 of 2 noun
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