cattish

[ kat-ish ]

/ ˈkæt ɪʃ /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cattish ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

catlike; feline.

spiteful; malicious.

RELATED WORDS

bad-tempered, catty, despiteful, hateful, malevolent, malicious, malignant, mean, nasty, overbearing, venomous, vicious, vindictive, wicked

Nearby words

cattalo, cattegat, cattell, catterick, cattery, cattish, cattishly, cattle, cattle call, cattle car, cattle class

Origin of cattish

First recorded in 1590–1600; cat + -ish¹

Related formscat·tish·ly, adverbcat·tish·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cattish

And be gracious to everybody, even to those who have been most cattish.
The Silent Barrier|Louis Tracy
It does not seem to be their genius to do more than Fishwomen, to scratch and tear one or two to pieces in a cattish fury.
Private letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 2 (of 2)|Edward Gibbon
Mrs. Hetherington, whom the end of the voyage had left nervy and cross, said cattish things.
Captivity|M. Leonora Eyles
Sort of cattish way of implying that the fair Olga could get along without any moon at all.
West Wind Drift|George Barr McCutcheon

I had a cattish desire to fight him and let him know his place.
Daisy|Miranda Eliot Swan

Word Origin and History for cattish

cattish

adj.

1590s, "cat-like," from cat (n.) + -ish. From 1883 as "catty." Related: Cattishly; cattishness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper