Arboreal

//ɑɹˈbɔɹi.əl// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any tree-dwelling creature.

    "So, by learning to use their eyes to more and more advantage the arboreals added another treasure to the foundation of human intelligence."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of, relating to, or resembling a tree.

    "1650, Walter Charleton (translator), “Of the Magnetick Cure of Wounds” in A Ternary of Paradoxes, by Jan Baptist van Helmont, London: William Lee, p. 72, High and sacred, in good troth, is the power of the microcosmical spirit, which without any arboreal trunck produceth a true Cherry:"

  2. 2
    Living in or among trees.

    "If the harvest mouse had been more strictly arboreal, it would perhaps have had its tail rendered structurally prehensile, as is the case with some members of the same order."

  3. 3
    Covered or filled with trees.

    "The breadth of the arboreal landscape requires a longer list of living creatures, and creatures of greater bulk."

Adjective
  1. 1
    inhabiting or frequenting trees wordnet
  2. 2
    resembling a tree in form and branching structure wordnet
  3. 3
    of or relating to or formed by trees wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
arborescentarboricalarboraryarboraryarboreousarboreous

Example

More examples

"Monkeys are arboreal animals which make themselves at home in genealogical trees."

Etymology

From Latin arboreus (“tree-like”) + -al, mid-17th century.

Related phrases

Monte Cristo arboreal alligator lizard

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.