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

Relevance

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 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 While Mean Girls is technically a comedy, its depiction of girl-on-girl cattiness stings incredibly true. — Michelle Kung, EW.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cattiness
  1. bitterness
  2. malice
  3. hostility
  4. venom
  5. severity
  6. hatred
  7. cruelty
Noun
  • Mexican Americans have long risen up to defend ourselves and defy our haters, but there’s usually an underlying strain of bitterness and anger that kneecaps us at the worst possible moments.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Tens of thousands continue to come each year, yet no widespread anger or bitterness grows.
    — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 6 July 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
  • Symptoms of the allergic reactions at AGS can vary case by case and in severity, but can include hives, angioedema (deep-swelling of the lips, eyes, tongue, and throat), wheezing, gastrointestinal distress and even fatal anaphylaxis.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026
  • Two of these are rated critical, while 10 have been given high-severity status.
    — Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 10 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
  • Assembly Bill 2344 by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) would give animals seized in cruelty cases a respite from crowded shelters by allowing them to be placed in foster homes or with animal rescue groups.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • The stupidity of losing his car was one thing; the cruelty of forcing her to make that choice was quite another.
    — Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Definition of cruelty

Browse Nearby Words

cattily
cattiness
catting (around)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cattiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cattiness. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cattiness

Nglish: Translation of cattiness for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulcrum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All