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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kittenishness
Noun
-
The second big night of high school boys hockey section tournament play again went very much according to seed.—
Pioneer Press,
Twin Cities,
19 Feb. 2026 -
Prosecutors say Price, now 75, took part in pay-for-play schemes that benefited his wife’s company and were not listed on government financial disclosure forms.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Tragedies befall teens all the time, and in this case, the focus is on moving forward, as represented by Minnie’s tentative flirtation with a girl named Kat (Iman Vellani).—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
In her scenes with each of them, Hedda’s motivations feel murky as she ping-pongs between flirtation, disgust, fear and anger.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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
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
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
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.
Cite this Entry
“Kittenishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kittenishness. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
