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 yourself from malicious apps is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
11 Mar. 2025
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Fraudsters are increasingly using generative AI to write convincing phishing emails, improve deepfakes, and draft new forms of malicious code — making scams harder to detect.—
Sam Sabin,
Axios,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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As mere surrogates, the Trump-DeSantis fight to outdo each other through mean and cruel policies will go on.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Mar. 2025
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Immigration advocates call the crackdown cruel and wrongheaded and warn that many Latino U.S. citizens will likely suffer violations of their civil rights and possibly even get mistakenly deported.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Ferran’s Blanche puts up a vicious fight, but Mescal’s Stanley relishes the roughhousing.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2025
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At age 55, the director of the vicious South Korean social satire Parasite specializes in adolescent appeal.—
Armond White,
National Review,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Mayo tweeted four different screenshots appearing to come from his Instagram direct messages, all expressing hateful words at the transfer guard, following the Jayhawks’ 78-73 defeat to Texas Tech.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
2 Mar. 2025
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The students were protesting the expulsion of two students who stormed a Columbia University classroom in January and allegedly threw around flyers filled with hateful speech.—
Stepheny Price,
Fox News,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And then, to top a nasty joke with a nastier one, he was deemed useless for the final twenty years of his life.—
Jackson Arn,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
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Fancy record-cleaning machines like this one from Pro-Ject ($450) use a platter and a vacuum system to physically suck the nasty cleaning solution out of the grooves, with a motor that spins the record in two directions.—
Parker Hall,
WIRED,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Most compellingly, Shauna has grown bitchy and maniacal following her baby’s death and Natalie’s ascent to leadership.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to catty
Cite this Entry
“Catty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catty. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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