cattiness

noun

Definition of cattinessnext
1
as in bitterness
biting sharpness of feeling or expression the cattiness of the commentary for the televised awards was neither nice nor necessary

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm there's no reason for saying such hurtful things except sheer cattiness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 cattiness While Mean Girls is technically a comedy, its depiction of girl-on-girl cattiness stings incredibly true. — Michelle Kung, EW.com, 18 Aug. 2025 But colleagues’ cattiness and her own insecurity dredge up traumatic memories and send her spiralling into bulimia. — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 12 June 2026 The twist is that Escola encourages the kind of desperate cattiness that the onstage Mary Todd Lincoln herself embodies. — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cattiness
  1. bitterness
  2. malice
  3. hostility
  4. venom
  5. severity
  6. hatred
  7. cruelty
Noun
  • In the case of Alito and Thomas, there is also a striking note of bitterness.
    — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
  • Looking back now, however, there is no bitterness attached to that chapter.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 28 June 2026
Definition of bitterness
Noun
  • But on Wednesday, the jury in the latest trial found that MGA had not acted with malice, meaning no punitive damages would be awarded.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2026
  • The company’s own investigation points less to malice than to a process that never engaged.
    — Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of malice
Noun
  • The Art, Not Science, of Leadership Ultimately, the hostility toward dual-class shares reflects a broader cultural shift in how many good governance advocates view corporate leadership.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 July 2026
  • Because that opposition is motivated in part by hostility to artificial intelligence.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 6 July 2026
Definition of hostility
Noun
  • According to Levine, no attempt should be made to remove the venom yourself, whether by sucking on the wound or cutting it.
    — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
  • Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction typically triggered by food, drugs or insect venom.
    — Ryan J. Foley, Twin Cities, 6 July 2026
Definition of venom
Noun
  • Emergency drain cleaning runs $400 to $1,000 or more, depending on severity.
    — Sharon Wu, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • While most wildfires in the past burned slowly across the forest floor, providing benefits to the forest, high-severity fires roar into the tops of the trees, burning 1,000 degrees or hotter, with flames that can reach 200 feet tall.
    — Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 3 July 2026
Definition of severity
Noun
  • The rivalry between the neighboring nations stretches back over 100 years on the pitch without ever being one that has slipped into hatred.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Proof that the babies aren’t born with hatred in their bellies and in their blood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of hatred
Noun
  • According to the Sheriff’s Office, a judge released Cruz on his own recognizance June 4 following his arraignment on felony animal cruelty charges in Sacramento Superior Court.
    — Velvet Wu July 1, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
  • At one point, the narrator, embarrassed by his own act of cruelty, gives a sobbing woman all his money and then leaves her alone in a hotel room.
    — Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 1 July 2026
Definition of cruelty

Browse Nearby Words

cattily
cattiness
catting (around)
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Cite this Entry

“Cattiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cattiness. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cattiness

Nglish: Translation of cattiness for Spanish Speakers

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