catchy
Americanadjective
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catchier,
comparative
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catchiest
superlative
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pleasing and easily remembered.
a catchy tune.
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likely to attract interest or attention.
a catchy title for a movie.
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tricky; deceptive.
a catchy question.
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occurring in snatches; fitful.
a catchy wind.
adjective
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(of a tune, etc) pleasant and easily remembered or imitated
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tricky or deceptive
a catchy question
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irregular
a catchy breeze
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of catchy
Explanation
Something that's catchy grabs your attention or sticks in your memory. A catchy TV commercial jingle is one that kids can't stop singing. Ad executives are always seeking catchy slogans or ideas, and movie distributors work hard to put out catchy trailers for new films. Successful pop musicians have solved the puzzle of how to write a catchy song. In all of these cases, the catchy item appeals to many people and stays with them. The word dates from the 1830s, possibly from the sense of catch meaning "contract an illness that's passed from person to person."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I start with something that’s catchy and easily digestible, and then mix it with sounds that feel uncomfortable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
“Breezy,” one of just a handful of truly catchy tunes on the set, has an easy strut that channels the twinkle of the LP “Diamonds and Pearls.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Take a bite out of history: In Part 2 of its series on McGruff the Crime Dog, Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast asks the question: Did a trench-coat-wearing dog’s catchy anti-drug anthems actually work?
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
It’s a catchy idea that explains why figures like Peter Parker, Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter have a lasting hold on their fans in ways that other heroes don’t.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
It’s catchy and everyone knows the words, but to me, it’s this reminder that no matter who you are, there will always be someone prettier or smarter or thinner.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Hormel needed a catchier name to break through.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 14, 2023
I Wrote A Song is a frank and funny revenge track, bitter as a bag of lemons and catchier than the common cold.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2023
A general manager encouraged him to adopt the last name Laboe because it sounded catchier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2022
“It’d be nice to think of a catchier name,” Potter admits.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 26, 2022
It was one of Agatha Swanburne’s catchier sayings, and the children knew it by heart, since Penelope said it often enough.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
It’s by far the catchiest song on a collection unconcerned with easy tunefulness, and is an ideal entry point for the album.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
A dirty little truth about “feel-good” hits, down to the catchiest ditty, is that they’re rarely a band or an artist’s best work.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026
Yes, “ Dancing on My Own,” a 2016 dance remix performed by a British reality show contestant improbably became the catchiest song of last season’s run to the World Series.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 27, 2023
It’s tuneful too, joining the likes of “We Are the Best!” and “Sing Street” on the list of the catchiest movies about teenage rockers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
Possibly the catchiest of these, a really cute little thing, was achieved by jazzing up the Funeral March.
From And All the Earth a Grave by C. C. MacApp
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
