pythonic

Syllables: py·thon·ic/paɪˈθɒnɪk/US/paɪˈθɑnɪk/

pythonic adjective: of or pertaining to, or resembling, a python (“large constricting snake of the family Pythonidae”); pythonlike. Also the alternative letter-case form of Pythonic.

Image: LiCheng Shih, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Adjective (1)

pythonic (comparative more pythonic, superlative most pythonic)

Of or pertaining to, or resembling, a python (“large constricting snake of the family Pythonidae”); pythonlike.
- The blue glitter of Mr Kelly's eyes in the uttermost depths of their orbits became fixed, then veiled by the classical pythonic glaze.1938, Samuel Beckett, chapter 2, in Murphy, London: Picador, Pan Books, published 1973, →ISBN, page 17

Adjective (2)

pythonic (comparative more pythonic, superlative most pythonic)

Of or pertaining to an oracle or prophet, or to the telling of prophecies; oracular, prophetic.
- And if it be his [Andreas Schott's] Opinion there vvas no ſuch Thing as a Pythonick Spirit, I vviſh he vvould read the Anſvver Father [Jean-François] Baltus has vvrit to Mr. [Bernard Le Bovier de] Fontenelle’s Book of Oracles, […]1724, John Beaumont, “A Discourse of the Oracles Deliver’d at Delphos, and the Other Temples of the Gentiles; and of the Cessation of Them, both among the Jews and Gentiles”, in Gleanings of...
- [Verse 10] Neither let there be found among you any one that ſhall expiate his ſon or daughter, making them to paſs through the fire: or that conſulteth ſoothſayers, or obſerveth dreams and omens, neither let there be any wizard, / [Verse 11] Nor charmer, nor any one that conſulteth pythonick...1750, The Holy Bible […] Newly reviſed, and corrected according to the Clementin Edition of the Scriptures. (Douay–Rheims Bible, Challoner Revision), Deuteronomy 18:10–11, pages 364–365
Synonyms:

augural, panomphean, Pythian, Pythic, pythonical

Adjective (3) capitalized: Pythonic

UK/paɪˈθɒ.nɪk/US/paɪˈθɑ.nɪk/

Pythonic (comparative more Pythonic, superlative most Pythonic)

Of or pertaining to, or resembling, the Python in Ancient Greek mythology, a serpent which lived at Delphi (regarded as the centre of the Earth) until it was killed by Apollo.
(figuratively) Enormous; also, monstrous.

Synonyms:

ample, big, exceeding, cosmic, bodacious, broad, commodious, considerable, expansive, good-sized
Using the idioms of the Python programming language.
- The Pythonic style isn't regimented or enforced by the compiler. It has emerged over time through experience using the language and working with others.2015 February 12, Brett Slatkin, Effective Python, Addison-Wesley Professional, →ISBN, page 1
- Pythonic code—when you first hear of it, you might think it is a programming paradigm, similar to object-oriented or functional programming. While some of it could be considered as such, it is actually more of a design philosophy.2016 August 31, Fabrizio Romano, Dusty Phillips, Rick van Hattem, Python: Journey from Novice to Expert, Packt Publishing, →ISBN, page 850
Synonyms:

Pythonesque

Antonyms:

unpythonic

Also used as

pythonic is also the alternative letter-case form of Pythonic.

pythonic meaning in Hindi and Urdu

pythonic in Hindi

of or pertaining to a python: अजगरी ajagrī

pythonic in Urdu

of or pertaining to a python: اجگری ajgarī

Synonyms of pythonic

30 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Antonyms

unpythonic

All synonyms of pythonic

Forms of pythonic

comparative	more pythonic
superlative	most pythonic
comparative	more Pythonic
superlative	most Pythonic
alternative form	pythonic

Origin of pythonic

From python (“snake of the family Pythonidae”) + -ic (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives from nouns). Python is derived from Latin Pȳthōn, from Ancient Greek Πῡ́θων (Pū́thōn, “Python, mythical serpent which lived at Delphi”), from Πῡθώ (Pūthṓ, “Pytho, ancient name of Delphi; Python, the mythical serpent”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (“deep; dark (?); unclear (?)”) or *puH- (“foul, rotten”)) + -ων (-ōn, suffix forming possessives).

From Late Middle English phitonic, phithonice (“of a possessing spirit: oracular, prophetic”), from Medieval Latin phitōnicus, a variant of Late Latin pȳthōnicus (“of or pertaining to divination, prophetic; magical”), from Byzantine Greek πυθωνικός (puthōnikós), from Koine Greek πύθων (púthōn, “spirit possessing a person, especially one with the power of prophecy”) + Ancient Greek -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Πύθων (Púthōn) is derived from Πῡθώ (Pūthṓ, “Pytho, ancient name of Delphi; Python, the monstrous snake said to have been slain by Apollo at Delphi”) (see further at etymology 1) + -ων (-ōn, suffix forming possessives). In ancient times, Pytho, later Delphi, was the location of a Temple of Apollo where the high priestess, or Pythia, was a well-known oracle or prophetess. cognates * Middle French phitonicque, phitonique

See Pythonic (etymology 1).

Words that rhyme with pythonic

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about pythonic

What does pythonic mean?: Pythonic means of or pertaining to, or resembling, a python (“large constricting snake of the family Pythonidae”); pythonlike.
What is pythonic in Hindi?: Pythonic in Hindi is अजगरी (ajagrī). See Pythonic meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is pythonic?: Pythonic is an adjective.
How do you pronounce pythonic?: Pythonic is pronounced /paɪˈθɒnɪk/ (UK).

Words near pythonic in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: pythonic (page history and authors); Pythonic (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pythonic.wav.

Cite this entry: “pythonic.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/pythonic. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.