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Synonyms

catty

1 American  
[kat-ee] / ˈkæt i /

adjective

cattier, cattiest

  1. catlike; feline.

  2. slyly malicious; spiteful.

    a catty gossip.
    Synonyms:
    bitchy, malevolent, nasty, mean
catty 2 American  
[kat-ee] / ˈkæt i /

noun

plural

catties

  1. (in China and southeast Asia) a weight equal to about 1½ pounds (680 grams) avoirdupois.

catty 1 British  
/ ˈkætɪ /

adjective

  1. informal spiteful

    a catty remark

  2. of or resembling a cat

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
catty 2 British  
/ ˈkætɪ /

noun

  1. (Mandarin) Chinese name:: jin.  a unit of weight, used esp in E Asia, traditionally equal to about one and a half pounds but formalized as 0.5 kg in mainland China, 0.6 kg in Taiwan and Thailand, and about 0.605 kg in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • cattily adverb
  • cattiness noun

Etymology

Origin of catty1

First recorded in 1885–90; cat ( def. ) + -y 1

Origin of catty2

1545–55; < Malay kati

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.

The Hulu show "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" followed the catty fallout from the revelation among a group of Utah-based TikTok influencers, and has so far run for multiple seasons.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Madariaga’s response was exquisitely catty, describing Morison’s biography of Columbus as “a most interesting Life from the yachtsman’s point of view.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

In her video, Brown set her sights on multiple Daily Mail reporters and read aloud catty headlines including, “Why are Gen Zers like Millie Bobby Brown ageing so badly?”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2025

Smilodon, the catty predator whose ancestors emerged in the early Miocene, will not smile on us again.

From Salon • Feb. 17, 2025

She’s not nearly as catty these days and is becoming a real friend.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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.