kittenish

American  

[kit-n-ish] / ˈkɪt n ɪʃ /

adjective

1. coyly playful.

2. like or in the manner of a kitten.

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kittenish British  

/ ˈkɪtənɪʃ /

adjective

1. like a kitten; lively

2. (of a woman) flirtatious, esp coyly flirtatious

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Other Word Forms

• kittenishness
  noun
• kittenishly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of kittenish

First recorded in 1745–55; kitten + -ish ¹

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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

See Examples For:

kittenish

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

When her husband went on a lecture tour of London, she followed, and Staggs’s greatest biographical coup may be the unearthed photo of kittenish young Zsa Zsa drawing the eye of both H.G.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 19, 2019

Discuss some general things with him when he gets kittenish.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

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