kittenish
Americanadjective
-
like a kitten; lively
-
(of a woman) flirtatious, esp coyly flirtatious
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of kittenish
Explanation
Someone who's kittenish is fun-loving and playful, but also a little flirtatious. Your sister, although she's an adult, might jump up and down clapping her hands in a kittenish way whenever she wins a game. Many behaviors that are common in children are considered kittenish in grown ups, especially women. A kittenish spirit might be part of an actress's signature style, for example, and you could also call kittenish behavior coquettish or coy. The word stems from the idea "playful as a kitten," and kitten is from the Old French chitoun, "little cat."
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.
On screen, Brigitte Bardot was a cocktail of kittenish charm and continental sensuality, but it was an image she grew to loathe - eventually abandoning her career to campaign for animal welfare.
From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025
Her personality change is like that from the malevolent Gollum into kittenish Sméagol in The Lord of the Rings.
From Slate • Nov. 13, 2023
You could not call her kittenish: she was nobody’s pet, nobody’s plaything.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2020
Her earrings make Lynton Crosby’s “dead cat” manoeuvre look kittenish by comparison.
From The Guardian • Apr. 27, 2017
The old woman was almost kittenish around him.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
