catty

catty

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Pronunciation

The word catty has two syllables:

• First Syllable ('kæt):

• k: Voiceless velar stop (as in "car")

• æ: Near-open front unrounded vowel (as in "at")

• t: Voiceless alveolar stop (as in "top")

• Second Syllable (i):

• i: Close front unrounded vowel (as in "eel" or the vowel at the end of "happy")

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Word Form Variations

The word catty is primarily used as an adjective. As such, its main variations relate to its degree of comparison:

• Positive (Adjective): catty (e.g., "a catty remark")

• Comparative (Adjective): cattier (e.g., "a cattier comment than the last")

• Superlative (Adjective): cattiest (e.g., "the cattiest thing she's ever said")

The related noun form is:

• Noun: cattiness (e.g., "The discussion was full of cattiness.")

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Adjective

1. Definition: Spiteful, malicious, or petty, especially in a sly or indirect way, often characteristic of gossip or underhanded remarks. This use suggests a mannerism associated with stereotypically quarrelsome or temperamental cats.

• Synonyms: Spiteful, venomous, malicious, mean-spirited, gossipy, backbiting, bitchy (informal).

• Antonyms: Kind, friendly, complimentary, supportive, charitable, benevolent, gracious.

2. Definition (Less Common/Informal): Physically resembling or characteristic of a cat; feline.

• Synonyms: Feline, catlike.

• Antonyms: Canine, doglike.

Noun

1. Definition (Informal, Dated): A diminutive or affectionate term for a cat.

• Synonyms: Kitty, puss, pussycat.

• Antonyms: N/A (as it is a specific type of noun).

Adverb

1. Form: cattily

2. Definition: In a spiteful, malicious, or petty manner.

• Synonyms: Spitefully, meanly, maliciously, venomously, bitchily (informal).

• Antonyms: Kindly, graciously, supportively, charitably.

Noun (Related Term)

1. Form: cattiness

2. Definition: The quality or state of being spiteful, malicious, or petty.

• Synonyms: Spite, malice, venom, meanness, pettiness.

• Antonyms: Kindness, graciousness, benevolence, charity, goodwill.

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Examples of Use

Books and Literature

• "The author has a habit of making slightly catty remarks about other writers." (From a book review or literary commentary)

• "In the novel, the character's reputation suffered due to her cattiness and constant gossip."

News and Online Publications

• "The fashion column suggested that the designer's refusal to comment on his rival was an exercise in calculated cattiness." (Online style magazine, October 2024)

• "A political commentator dismissed the interview as 'nothing more than a catty back-and-forth between former colleagues.'" (Newspaper op-ed, September 2024)

• "While the two pop stars often express admiration for each other publicly, their past social media feud revealed a deeper layer of catty rivalry." (Entertainment news website, August 2024)

Entertainment Media and Platforms

• Television/Film Dialogue: "Did you hear what she said about my dress? That was so catty!" (Common in reality TV or drama series)

• Film Review: "The film relies too heavily on predictable, catty dialogue to generate conflict among its female protagonists." (Film review publication, July 2024)

• Podcast: "In this week's episode, we discuss the surprisingly catty nature of competitive gardening and flower shows." (Podcast episode description)

General Public Discourse

• Social Media: "That group chat is getting increasingly cattier. Time to mute the thread."

• Casual Conversation: "I love that jacket, but I'm not going to tell her that; I'm feeling catty today."

• Observation: "He thought his joke was funny, but it just came across as kind of petty and catty."

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10 Famous Quotes Using Catty

1. "Catty is not cool. I can't think of anything less becoming than a man who talks about people behind their backs." (Meghan Markle)

2. "I was a very extrovert kid. I always went to regular schools. I've never been catty or a prima donna, so I never had problems." (Kirsten Dunst)

3. "A lot of the girls were awful, very catty. It was a competitive environment that I didn't like." (Kate Winslet)

4. "In LA, nobody wants to talk to each other, everybody's giving each other catty looks." (Scarlett Johansson)

5. "Part of me relates to Perez Hilton because he's an outcast. I don't have a lot of friends who are actresses. They're catty, and they'll cut you down." (Amanda Bynes)

6. "Historians are the consummate hairdressers of the literary world: cooing in public, catty in private." (Craig Brown)

7. "'Housewives' are a million times cattier than pageant girls! I know pageant girls have a reputation for being catty, but 'Housewives' are even cattier." (Joyce Giraud)

8. "I was so catty about pop music as a teen, but it wasn't fair of me to judge it the same way I judge, like, Radiohead." (Chappell Roan)

9. "I don't think guys judge curvy women as much as women do. It shocks me how catty some women can be." (Ashley Graham)

10. "I want people to see that you don't have to be catty and mean to be a superstar." (Jinkx Monsoon)

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Etymology

"Catty" simply comes from the noun "cat" combined with the suffix "-y", which is often used to form adjectives meaning "full of," "characterized by," or "resembling."

• Cat + -y = Catty

Evolution of Meaning

1. Original and Literal Meaning (First Known Use):

• The earliest uses of "catty" simply meant "of or resembling a cat; feline."

• The Oxford English Dictionary records the first use of the word in this literal sense as early as 1687.

2. Figurative and Common Meaning:

• The modern and most common meaning—"spiteful, malicious, or petty, especially in a sly or indirect way"—developed later.

• This figurative sense is a reference to the popular stereotype that domestic cats are subtly malicious, temperamental, or prone to sudden, unexpected scratches (using their "claws").

• The first documented use of catty with this modern, negative meaning (referring to a person's behavior) is recorded around the late 1800s (specifically, 1883).

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Catty

The word catty is primarily used as a standalone adjective or adverb (cattily) and doesn't feature prominently in a large number of set idioms, unlike its root word "cat."

Here is a list of common and lesser-known phrases that use catty, along with idioms employing synonyms for a similar effect.

Phrases Using "Catty"

1. Catty remark/comment: A spiteful, petty, or malicious observation, usually made indirectly or under one's breath.

2. Catty behavior/cattiness: The quality or act of being maliciously spiteful or gossipy, particularly between women.

3. Catty fight/exchange: A quarrel characterized by indirect insults, sarcasm, and subtle hostility.

4. Catty-corner (or kitty-corner): This phrase means diagonally opposite, or situated at an oblique angle. (Note: While it sounds like 'catty,' this phrase is a corruption of the French 'cater-corner.')

Idioms and Phrases with Similar (Spiteful) Effect

Since true idioms with the word "catty" are scarce, here are common idioms and phrases that convey the same sense of malice, backbiting, or pettiness:

1. Talk behind one's back: To gossip maliciously about someone when they aren't present.

2. Stab someone in the back: To betray or hurt someone who trusts you, often secretly.

3. Have claws out: To be prepared to fight or criticize someone with sharp, often spiteful, words.

4. The gloves are off: A situation where people stop being polite or restrained and start to fight or argue fiercely and ruthlessly.

5. Bitchy with a capital B: A phrase emphasizing extreme or excessive spitefulness.

6. A venomous tongue: Someone who habitually speaks critically, unkindly, or maliciously.

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of catty from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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