ˈkit-nish
as in coquettish
affecting shyness or modesty in order to attract masculine interest
she couldn't see the point in being kittenish about it and decided to just ask him out
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Recent Examples of kittenish
Seductively kittenish, Gardner lives up to her profane reputation.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2023
Madelyn Cline went full-on Old Hollywood bombshell, kittenish liner, polished lengths, and all.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2023
There was much talk of the kittens, their kittenish ways.
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2022
To this day, she’s drawn to the bruise of blue that belies the kittenish blush, the tension between the girl next door and the demimondaine, who are not so far apart, who may even be one.
—Susan Dominus Photographs By Joshua Kissi Styled By Ian Bradley Sasha Weiss Photographs By Collier Schorr Styled By Jay Massacret Megan O’Grady Portrait By Mickalene Thomas and Racquel Chevremont Ligaya Mishan Photographs By Tina Barney, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for kittenish
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2023
Madelyn Cline went full-on Old Hollywood bombshell, kittenish liner, polished lengths, and all.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2023
There was much talk of the kittens, their kittenish ways.
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2022
To this day, she’s drawn to the bruise of blue that belies the kittenish blush, the tension between the girl next door and the demimondaine, who are not so far apart, who may even be one.
—Susan Dominus Photographs By Joshua Kissi Styled By Ian Bradley Sasha Weiss Photographs By Collier Schorr Styled By Jay Massacret Megan O’Grady Portrait By Mickalene Thomas and Racquel Chevremont Ligaya Mishan Photographs By Tina Barney, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for kittenish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kittenish
Adjective
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The desire for mental stimulation, variety and excitement is undeniable, but beneath all of the coquettish energy, something vulnerable is also starting to unfold.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
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The intelligence official, who helps train America’s newest generation of overseas intelligence officers, said these pretend tourists feign a lack of English, adopt a coquettish manner and play dumb to probe the area’s perimeter and identify its weak and strong points.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Joining Ferrell in Studio 8H is McCartney, whose been coy about the setlist for the big night.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
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If something about the now-problematic gender-bending killer of Camp Miasma reminds you of 1983’s Sleepaway Camp, Schoenbrun is not coy about the parallel.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kittenish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kittenish. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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