kittenishness

noun

as in play
the attitude or behavior of one who insincerely courts the amorous attentions of others a literary heroine covering grit and guile underneath her kittenishness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for kittenishness
  1. play
  2. flirtation
  3. coyness
  4. coquetry
  5. flirtatiousness
Noun
  • Swavely said in an interview that the play attempts to present Helen’s perspective in the story, reimagining her as a mail-order bride and giving her a voice and agency in her own fate.
    — Benjamin Carr, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Walker was carted off the field at training camp on Tuesday after going down following a pass rush play.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of play
Noun
  • Policies that undermine innovation, such as the Pill Penalty within the IRA, and a brief flirtation with anti-innovation leadership at the FDA, showed how fragile and sensitive to change the grand bargain can be.
    — Roderick Wong, Fortune, 25 July 2026
  • The intuitive Moon conjoins sensual Venus in your 5th House of Creativity, inviting pleasure, art, flirtation, or play back into your day.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026
Definition of flirtation
Noun
  • There is her coyness about her future plans, and her own recent memoir.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
  • The Hunting Wives strips away any coyness about sexuality in the first three minutes of episode one.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Definition of coyness
Noun
  • The three-inch heels that the women wear when performing the dance are visible at the bottom of the skirt—a demure bit of coquetry.
    — Fernanda Pérez Sánchez, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2022
  • In other words, the most dizzying and most consequential storyline of Michigan’s offseason — Harbaugh’s coquetry with the Minnesota Vikings notwithstanding — is going to linger a while longer.
    — Michael Cohen, Detroit Free Press, 27 July 2022
Definition of coquetry
Noun
  • Evocative animation, with subdued blue hues and soft lighting, conveys the flirtatiousness of their rapid connection in a scene where the two swim together in a pool at night.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
Definition of flirtatiousness
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.

Browse Nearby Words

kittenish
kittenishness
kittens
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Cite this Entry

“Kittenishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kittenishness. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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