catty

1 of 2

noun

cat·​ty ˈka-tē How to pronounce catty (audio)
plural catties
: any of various units of weight of China and southeast Asia varying around 1¹/₃ pounds (about 600 grams)
also : a standard Chinese unit equal to 1.1023 pounds (500 grams)

catty

2 of 2

adjective

cattier; cattiest
1
: resembling a cat
especially : slyly spiteful : malicious
made several catty comments
2
: of or relating to a cat
cattily adverb
cattiness noun

Examples of catty in a Sentence

Adjective a catty remark that served only to hurt their feelings
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Later, some vague barbs of catty competitiveness come out when the trio trade the stats and findings from their respective tests. Dan Heching, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025 Set in 1930s London, the fictional drama follows the prickly bond between Jimmy and theater actress Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), a constant target of his catty takedowns. Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2024
Adjective
As Sam makes his way to Bushwick, in the hopes of resurrecting his dormant stage persona, Romero acclimatizes us to the catty, interpersonal backstage drama of the cabaret’s moving parts, endearing us to each character in the process. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 June 2025 The resulting timeline—a chaotic, catty, incendiary voyage into the grievances of the world’s richest man with the president of the United States—should be enshrined as a historical artifact, a front-row seat to the apparent end of an extraordinarily consequential partnership. Brian Barrett, Wired News, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for catty

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Malay kati

First Known Use

Noun

1598, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of catty was in 1598

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Catty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catty. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

catty

adjective
cat·​ty
ˈkat-ē
cattier; cattiest
1
: resembling a cat
2
: mean in a sly way
catty remarks
cattily
ˈkat-ə-lē
adverb
cattiness
ˈkat-ē-nəs
noun

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