catlike

adjective or adverb

cat·​like ˈkat-ˌlīk 

: resembling a cat

especially : stealthy

with catlike tread, upon our prey we steal

—W. S. Gilbert

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Expert climbers and light on their feet, they’re often considered catlike. —Yolanda Wikiel, Good Housekeeping, 24 Feb. 2023

And then Twig is very catlike, very aloof, very strange, very complicated. —Jen Chaney, Vulture, 31 May 2021

As the bitchy, bleach-blonde ingénue Claire Woods, Samara Weaving continues her streak of being an edgier, icier, more catlike doppelganger for her fellow countrywoman Margot Robbie. —Philippa Snow, The New Republic, 1 May 2020

The others aren’t in view but appear to be standing a few feet back, relying on the extra distance and their catlike reflexes. —Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, 6 June 2017

That disease was ultimately traced to a coronavirus that jumped from bats to Asian palm civets, a catlike creature prized as a delicacy in southern China, and then to humans involved in the wildlife trade there. —Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2020

That disease was ultimately traced to a coronavirus that jumped from bats to Asian palm civets, a catlike creature prized as a delicacy in southern China, and then to humans involved in the wildlife trade there. —Steven Lee Myers, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Jan. 2020

Less noticed is that Donald Trump has a catlike sense for the deep cultural unease this post-Obama coalition creates among many millions of voters. —Daniel Henninger, WSJ, 12 June 2019

Though the couch carnage has yet to be remedied, Rose says the cameras give her a sense of security, and Rocco’s other antics, such as catlike perching on the back of the sofa, provide a chuckle for her and her friends. —Laura Daily, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2019

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Word History

First Known Use

1554, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

catlike

adjective or adverb

cat·​like ˈkat-ˌlīk 

: resembling a cat especially in being quick and silent