CATTY
What does "CATTY" mean?
Subtly spiteful or maliciously critical, especially in small remarks.
Meanings
- Deliberately hurtful in a sly, petty way; spitefully critical. She made a catty comment about my haircut and pretended it was a compliment. informal
- Resembling or characteristic of a cat. The kitten had a soft, catty grace as it crossed the sill.
Word origin
From 'cat' plus the adjectival suffix '-y'; the spiteful sense draws on the old image of cats as sly and scratching, recorded in English by the late 1800s.
Remember it
A CATTY remark has claws - hear the two T's hiss like a cat ready to scratch.
A little poem
A smile, a pause, a velvet little knife-
she sheathes the claw before you feel the cut,
and purrs goodnight as if she meant you well.
tercet
Wordplay
- Two cats were gossiping. One said the other was being catty - which, fair, but also redundant.
What it teaches
A claw hidden in a compliment still draws blood; kindness with a hook is just cruelty in disguise.
Quick facts
What does CATTY mean?
Subtly spiteful or maliciously critical, especially in small remarks.
Is CATTY a valid word?
Yes — CATTY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is CATTY?
CATTY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does CATTY come from?
From 'cat' plus the adjectival suffix '-y'; the spiteful sense draws on the old image of cats as sly and scratching, recorded in English by the late 1800s.
What can CATTY teach us?
A claw hidden in a compliment still draws blood; kindness with a hook is just cruelty in disguise.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.