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
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Recent Examples of catty
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
Eurovision is catty, competitive and eternally controversial.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
Edward Berger’s Conclave, adapted from the novel by Robert Harris, showcases the gaudy ritual and ornate displays of Roman Catholicism, while also offering an intimate (albeit imagined) look at the backroom dealings and catty confrontations that go into the election of the supreme pontiff.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
After losing its 34th Street site at 150 West 34th Street to Primark — a prime competitor — Old Navy has signed a lease to open at 50 West 34th Street, on the southeast corner of 34th and Broadway, catty corner to Macy’s.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for catty
Brian Barrett, Wired News, 5 June 2025
Eurovision is catty, competitive and eternally controversial.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
Edward Berger’s Conclave, adapted from the novel by Robert Harris, showcases the gaudy ritual and ornate displays of Roman Catholicism, while also offering an intimate (albeit imagined) look at the backroom dealings and catty confrontations that go into the election of the supreme pontiff.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
After losing its 34th Street site at 150 West 34th Street to Primark — a prime competitor — Old Navy has signed a lease to open at 50 West 34th Street, on the southeast corner of 34th and Broadway, catty corner to Macy’s.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for catty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catty
Adjective
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, which potentially accesses your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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When Tony's security company faces an attack from unknown malicious forces, the family goes on the run across Europe while figuring out who is after them, according to Paramount.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Because of the cruel math of throughput and utilization, over ten days, only three hundred people experienced Blur.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Tamra was awful to Gretchen back then, culminating in the Naked Wasted Party, which was one of the cruelest things to ever happen on Housewives.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Once infected, the body demands even more energy to fend off infection, leading to a vicious cycle.—
Michal Ruprecht,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
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Masked country crooner Orville Peck will keep his face covered while playing Vega, the vicious fighter who uses metal claws as one of his weapons.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Jack Osbourne has zero tolerance for hateful comments towards his late father, Ozzy Osbourne.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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YouTube videos posted from an account linked to Westman show a cache of weapons with racist, homophobic, antisemitic and hateful language against Muslims and other minority groups.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Sean Gardner/Getty Images This comes just weeks after Zilisch suffered a nasty fall from his car in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen, which resulted in a broken collarbone.—
Lydia Mee,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
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Parents pushing, people cutting lines, nasty attitudes everywhere, especially outside and in Sephora.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The other revivals don’t quite have that grip, though Yellow Face was excellent, and Romeo + Juliet has staged a rather bitchy campaign involving the dictionary definition of revival.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
4 June 2025
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The musician also flexes his acting muscle in a subtle yet bitchy exchange with Melling’s Colin, in which both of their butts are on display.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catty. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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