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
But there’s nothing—no backbiting, no meanness (of either sort), no catty contempt for the hands that fed him, not even a stray complaint about some hack winning a prize.
—
Christian Wiman, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
After a few days of memes and catty jokes, some commentators expressed alarm that the backlash to Erivo’s statement had gone too far.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
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, 25 Oct. 2024
Feeling Used: What’s going on with these catty friends-of-the-friend-of-your-husband who don’t want you at parties?
—R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for catty
Christian Wiman, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
After a few days of memes and catty jokes, some commentators expressed alarm that the backlash to Erivo’s statement had gone too far.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
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, 25 Oct. 2024
Feeling Used: What’s going on with these catty friends-of-the-friend-of-your-husband who don’t want you at parties?
—R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for catty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catty
Adjective
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The best way to safeguard against malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
23 Mar. 2025
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These methods can easily miss deeper behavioral indicators that would signal a malicious payload lurking beneath the surface.—
Alex Vakulov,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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What's particularly cruel about that reality is that after years of dealing with questions about his weight, the former Duke Blue Devil star played a career-high 70 games in 2023-24.—
Bobby Krivitsky,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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Here, Munir may be vaccinating chickens rather than grabbing them on their way to slaughter, but the work is just as thankless and cruel.—
Bartolomeo Sala,
The Dial,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This creates a vicious cycle: more applications lead to lower acceptance rates, triggering even more applications from worried students.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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However, some people develop unhelpful habits and ways of thinking about sleep that create a vicious cycle, said Krieger, who is also director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Beauvais’ comments about fan support are likely in reference to the support she’s received when clashing with her castmates, as well as in season 12, when her teenage son experienced hateful online backlash.—
Jackie Strause,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Mar. 2025
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This group includes canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rice bran, soybean, safflower, and sunflower oils. Skepticism of the hateful eight stems from the production process of many seed oils, which uses mechanical or chemical treatment.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Interestingly, the feeling of abandonment mirrors the animating force of the nastiest parts of the American manosphere: the belief that men got left behind.—
Doreen St. Félix,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
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Our four financial stocks are finished positive, including Capital One Financial despite a nasty pullback on Monday tied to a report that said the Justice Department may challenge its Discover acquisition.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate — immediately reverting back to the bitchy girls who ruled Nowhere High together — sniggered at the scene from behind designer sunnies.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2025
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Moore does some of her most deliciously bitchy work in the second season of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series.—
Katie Rife,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catty. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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