Preening Meaning in English

word · lemma: preen

US

UK

Definition

The act of a bird cleaning and arranging its feathers with its beak; also, when a person spends a lot of time making their appearance perfect or acts in a self-satisfied way.

Usage & Nuances

'Preening' is literal with birds, but for people it can mean focusing on appearance or acting proud. Often mildly negative when used about people ('He was preening in front of the mirror'). Commonly used to describe self-admiration or vanity.

• Spanish: acicalarse - arreglarse (pájaros, personas)
• Portuguese (BR): alisar as penas - ajeitar-se (autocuidado, vaidade)
• Portuguese (PT): alisar as penas - arranjar-se (autoestima, vaidade)
• Chinese (Simplified): 整理羽毛 - 自我欣赏
• Chinese (Traditional): 整理羽毛 - 自我欣賞
• Hindi: पंख सवारना - खुद को संवारना
• Arabic: ينتف ريشه - يتباهى بنفسه
• Bengali: পালক গোছানো - নিজের সাজ-পোশাক গোছানো
• Russian: прихорашиваться - чистить перья
• Japanese: 羽づくろい - 身だしなみを整える
• Vietnamese: rỉa lông - chăm chút ngoại hình
• Korean: 깃털을 다듬다 - 치장하다
• Turkish: tüylerini düzeltmek - süslenmek
• Urdu: پَر سنوارنا - خود کو سنوارنا
• Indonesian: merapikan bulu - merapikan penampilan

Example Sentences

The parrot was preening its colorful feathers.

basic

The swan was quietly preening near the lake.

basic

He couldn't stop preening in front of the mirror before his date.

natural

All morning, the model kept preening for the photographers.

natural

Stop preening—no one is watching you!

natural

She spent an hour preening before the party.

basic