Adjective
Unable to fly. Describing kinds of birds that normally cannot fly, such as the penguin, ostrich, and emu.
Usage- not-comparable
- usually
- Examples
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Near-synonyms: apterous, wingless
The indigenous fauna of Australia and New Zealand featured an especially interesting array of flightless birds.
More examples (1)
America has its bald eagle and New Zealand has its kiwi, a flightless brown bird.
Unable to fly. Describing an individual bird that normally would be able to fly but in this case cannot, such as an injured sparrow.
Usage- not-comparable
- Uncommon
- Examples
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The animal shelter has a flightless sparrow named Shiny, who seems to make up for his disability by being an avid runner.
Unable to fly. Suddenly deprived of a scheduled (airline) flight by its cancellation.
Usage- Humorous
- not-comparable
- Uncommon
- Examples
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Oh great, some wind is blowing in Chicago, so now I'm flightless in Seattle, because this airline can't cope!
Adjective
incapable of flying