catty

adjective

Definition of cattynext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 catty Tortuga’s signature restaurant, Bamboo, sits catty-corner to the pool, and has a dining room with blush pink walls—a color handpicked by Oscar de la Renta. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 June 2026 With Daniel being tied to Armand, and the journalist turned documentarian having a catty, antagonistic relationship with Lestat, much of how he was turned and the real reason for why is left a mystery. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 3 June 2026 Yes, remarks those catty modernists made about their host could be less than savory, but Stein wasn’t bothered. — Emily Cox, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026 Long gone are the days of catty rivalries between Tonya and Nancy, Michelle and Tara. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 17 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for catty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catty
  1. malicious
  2. cruel
  3. vicious
  4. hateful
  5. nasty
  6. bitchy
Adjective
  • The malicious system component silently installs apps that look like weather tools, app lockers and other everyday utilities.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation also warned that malicious actors could exploit the vulnerabilities to execute code remotely, putting sensitive data and networks at risk.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • In response to legislation to end the cruelty once and for all, the Daily News once again trotted out its old and tired defense of this cruel, deadly and outdated industry.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Policing cringe is the cruelest métier of the internet—the origin of harassment campaigns and platforming of contempt.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • So too, the possibility of Rollerball-style carnage carnivals where robots compete in vicious cage matches until only one android is still moving.
    — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Cash reserves totaling $ 7,450,869 are being used to eviscerate his opponent with a vicious barrage of ad hominem assaults, thus giving him a 61 to 1 spending edge.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • Manchester police say over the weekend, vandals wreaked havoc leaving several hateful, antisemitic, racist and homophobic slurs on people's property.
    — Paul Burton, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Ossoff went a step further, accusing Collins himself of amplifying hateful content and saying that his former congressional aide had intervened on behalf of a Holocaust denier.
    — AJC.com, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of hateful
Adjective
  • The polls still show a close-range contest, but in the increasingly nasty ad war, the spending suggests a far more lopsided fight.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Officers then cuffed the youngster as he was loaded into an ambulance and hospitalized for a fractured femur and a nasty bruise on his head, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the teen’s dad, Mahmoud Saleh, in Brooklyn Federal Court.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of nasty
Adjective
  • While some companies made dramatically bitchy exits from the state in recent years, there are signs that several are itching to get back to the golden coast.
    — Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Who would come correct with a bitchy, sassy, screw-all-y’all response, and who would play it safe with a mild-mannered send-off?
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of bitchy

Browse Nearby Words

cattlemen
catty
caucus
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Cite this Entry

“Catty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catty. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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