catty

adjective

Definition of cattynext
as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it a catty remark that served only to hurt their feelings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of catty What makes this such an exhilarating watch is how the performers navigate every passive-aggressive aside, every catty comment, every choice bit of annoying behavior played for laughs, pathos, or both at once. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2026 Abigail Cowen gets off to a rough start as Percy’s almost cartoonishly catty ex-friend, but eventually matures into a real bright spot as Delilah’s marital troubles get a funny-sad subplot of their own. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026 With Daniel being tied to Armand, and the journalist turned documentarian having a catty, antagonistic relationship with Lestat, much of how he was turned and the real reason for why is left a mystery. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 3 June 2026 In The Corner That Held Them, rarely does desire raise its head as the nuns busy themselves with dishonest bishops, honest con men, collapsing spires, inconclusive visions, ecclesiastical intrigues, catty infighting, attempts at levitation, and the plague. — Air Mail, 14 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for catty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catty
  1. malicious
  2. cruel
  3. vicious
  4. hateful
  5. nasty
  6. bitchy
Adjective
  • According to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, 37-year-old Adam Mazur-Baker was arraigned Tuesday on one count of using a computer to commit a crime and one count of malicious use of telecommunications services.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • This command executes malicious code inside the AppleScript directly.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • The heat has become so unbearable in Japan that weather officials in April announced a new term for days when maximum temperatures exceed 104 degrees — kokushobi, meaning harsh or cruel heat, according to the Japan Times.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • For thousands of Venezuelans, however, the lack of definitive answers has become one of the tragedy’s cruelest consequences.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • This vicious machine chewed him up and spit him out in predictable fashion.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • The mood changed a bit when Tab Ramos took a vicious elbow to the side of his head and fractured his skull.
    — Gabriel Sama, Mercury News, 28 June 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • Social media sites used for hateful comments Pumphrey made threatening posts on the social media platform YouTube and other social media sites, according to the guilty plea.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • Political podcasters such as Tucker Carlson peddle conspiracies and lies, and there seems to be little consequence for hateful rhetoric.
    — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2026
Definition of hateful
Adjective
  • Including some rather nasty, big corpo bullies who enlist specialist teams to hunt down clues, and other players, too.
    — Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 July 2026
  • Betty Kovacs, the eldest daughter of comedian Ernie Kovacs who with her sister Kippie and stepmother, actress-singer Edie Adams, was at the center of a nasty custody battle that kept Hollywood riveted in 1962, has died.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 29 June 2026
Definition of nasty
Adjective
  • Brooke Lynn Heights can play the withering queen bee role she’s given in her sleep, while Marcia Marcia Marcia and Symoné prove amusingly bitchy lackies.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 9 June 2026
  • Come for the arch, bitchy humor promised by the title and the director’s general social media brand; stay for the unabashed sweetness of the enterprise; leave with the distinct sense that there’s more to Firstman than his online persona.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 May 2026
Definition of bitchy

Browse Nearby Words

cattlemen
catty
caucus
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Cite this Entry

“Catty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catty. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on catty

Nglish: Translation of catty for Spanish Speakers

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