What does "sphynx" mean?

A domestic cat of a breed with little or no hair, a narrow long head, and webbed feet.

What is a synonym for "sphynx"?

Common synonyms include: dragon, enigma, enigma, great sphinx, harpy, loch ness monster.

//ˈsfɪŋks// name, noun

name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A domestic cat of a breed with little or no hair, a narrow long head, and webbed feet.
"Sphynx cats are often called hairless cats. But Sphynx do have hair. Very short, fine hairs called down cover the Sphynx’s body."
2
Dated form of sphinx (mythological creature). alt-of, dated
3
Alternative letter-case form of Sphynx (“breed of cat”). alt-of

Proper Noun

1
Dated form of Sphinx (“Egyptian statue”). alt-of, dated
"Where old Nile is everflowing, / And the Sphynx with heavy lids / Sits by ruins grim and sombre — / Onward to the Pyramids."

"Where old Nile is everflowing, / And the Sphynx with heavy lids / Sits by ruins grim and sombre — / Onward to the Pyramids."

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