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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of catty
The resulting timeline—a chaotic, catty, incendiary voyage into the grievances of the world’s richest man with the president of the United States—should be enshrined as a historical artifact, a front-row seat to the apparent end of an extraordinarily consequential partnership.
—
Brian Barrett, Wired News, 5 June 2025
Eurovision is catty, competitive and eternally controversial.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
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
After losing its 34th Street site at 150 West 34th Street to Primark — a prime competitor — Old Navy has signed a lease to open at 50 West 34th Street, on the southeast corner of 34th and Broadway, catty corner to Macy’s.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for catty
Brian Barrett, Wired News, 5 June 2025
Eurovision is catty, competitive and eternally controversial.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
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
After losing its 34th Street site at 150 West 34th Street to Primark — a prime competitor — Old Navy has signed a lease to open at 50 West 34th Street, on the southeast corner of 34th and Broadway, catty corner to Macy’s.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
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 that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
20 Sep. 2025
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If the vulnerability had been discovered by, or fallen into the hands of, malicious hackers, the fallout could have been devastating.—
Kevin Purdy,
ArsTechnica,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Sena was crying in pain, and so were her new owners, who even questioned whether keeping her alive was cruel.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
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Directed by Oliver Laxe, who’s been making waves at Cannes for years, the movie is funny and warm in parts, cruel and cold in others.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As and when evidence against that narrative comes out, either via six monthly reports or from some other source, the crash in the stock price will be more vicious than otherwise.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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In these homes, the conflict between budgeting and feeding kids well creates huge psychological stress for parents, which can lead to anxiety and depression, fueling the vicious cycle of stress and unhealthy eating, Beresin said.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Some viewed what Kirk said as extreme, hateful, racist and sexist.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
20 Sep. 2025
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But this disgusting and hateful speech is still speech and is protected by our First Amendment.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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One said bump is a particularly nasty, literal wig-snatching fight between Vida and Chi-Chi.—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
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In a nutshell, people are easily irritated and inclined to get caught up in nasty power struggles because they’re entrenched in their own views.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The message of the song that will work, Wendy says, isn’t bitchy.—
Allison P. Davis,
Vulture,
8 Sep. 2025
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The musician also flexes his acting muscle in a subtle yet bitchy exchange with Melling’s Colin, in which both of their butts are on display.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catty. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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