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
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
Maybe for the first time all day, the comment threads in the comment stream alongside the YouTube livestream was without catty remarks.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Apr. 2025
Pouring a truckload of salt in the wound, Olsen exploits the age gap between herself and her former mentor to take shots at Holmes’s practice, along with the work of all of Manhattan’s old-guard plastic surgeons via catty TikToks lambasting their entire approach.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2024
When host Andy Cohen asked the duo about the exit of castmate Garcelle Beauvais, their silence – and then catty answers – drew backlash from fans.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catty
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
Maybe for the first time all day, the comment threads in the comment stream alongside the YouTube livestream was without catty remarks.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Apr. 2025
Pouring a truckload of salt in the wound, Olsen exploits the age gap between herself and her former mentor to take shots at Holmes’s practice, along with the work of all of Manhattan’s old-guard plastic surgeons via catty TikToks lambasting their entire approach.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2024
When host Andy Cohen asked the duo about the exit of castmate Garcelle Beauvais, their silence – and then catty answers – drew backlash from fans.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Apr. 2025
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 is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2025
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Nor are alligators the consistently malicious snappers of Kristi Noem’s dreams.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Politics remains a cruel business and the governor has been on the frontline of it for nearly 20 years, winning and losing.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
5 July 2025
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They were joined by actors playing the contestants, who lurched along wearing expressions of exaggerated horror, as though the cruel stakes of the game had just been revealed to them.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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This approach costs three times more than housing people and creates a vicious cycle — incarceration increases homelessness risk by destroying community connections and employment prospects.—
Mahdi E Diab,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 June 2025
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Of course, no conversation about Yellowjackets season 3 would be complete without a deep dive into Shauna's vicious throw down with Swank's Melissa — during which Shauna rips a chunk of flesh off Melissa's arm with her teeth and forces her to eat it.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Our national broadcaster should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict.—
Fatima Al-Kassab,
NPR,
30 June 2025
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Instead, the program selectively promoted one viewpoint while silencing others, effectively teaching children that religious beliefs about sexuality and gender are outdated or even hateful.—
Jeffrey S. Trimbath,
Baltimore Sun,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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Her somewhat implausible problem is that her bad feelings—her irritation, her boredom—never register as such because of her beauty, her wealth, and her pedigree; so great is her beauty that even her nastiest moods feel like a sunny glow to others.—
Claire Jarvis,
New Yorker,
8 July 2025
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But use kind humor, not nasty or deprecating humor.—
Davia Temin,
Forbes.com,
6 July 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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Martin is there, and finally Masha arrives, wearing a Traitors hood and a bitchy attitude.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catty. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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