puppylike s characteristic of a puppy Usage(s) When Fleay ventured to open the burrow last week, he found a fat baby, about nine weeks old, that uttered puppylike barks. Van Johnson is a wounded airman who camps on Lana's trail with a woebegone, puppylike expression. Yagira, with the smooth androgyny of an anime hero, is a real eye magnet; the camera, puppylike, practically licks his face. Synonym(s) puppyish