catty conversation
- noun
- /ˈkæti ˌkɒnvərˈseɪʃən/
- Offensive
:
conversación maliciosa
- I prefer to stay out of catty conversations that involve talking behind others' backs.
Examples
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Some reality TV shows thrive on the drama of catty conversation between contestants.
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Their catty conversation quickly escalated into a heated exchange of insults.
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I overheard some catty conversation at the café yesterday.
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Why do you always engage in catty conversations?
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During lunch, the colleagues engaged in a catty conversation about their boss's latest mistake.
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The two friends often have catty conversations, sharing sharp comments about celebrities.
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After the meeting, the team couldn't resist a catty conversation about one member's awkward presentation.
Synonyms
119
3.5
A short angry conversation between two people
27
9.5
Bitter, angry language that attacks people
10
8.8
A bitter, angry feeling shown in words or actions
3
6.7
Saying unpleasant things about someone who is not present
1
8.1
Saying small mean things to hurt someone in a quiet way
1
9.9
A way of talking and acting that is mean and hurts people
Mean words or actions that secretly hurt people in a social group
Rude words or actions that aim to hurt someone
A rude or hurtful comment said in a conversation
Antonyms
How Spiteful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'catty' (slyly hurtful) directly modifies 'conversation', so the overall meaning 'a spiteful or malicious conversation' is compositionally derivable from the constituents. This follows a standard adjective + noun pattern and would be obvious to a B1 learner who knows both words, though 'catty' is somewhat colloquial.
Etymology
Catty conversation may come from comparing people to cats: a catty remark is like a cat's hiss or scratch, sharp and mean. So a catty conversation is a talk full of 'unkind' or 'spiteful' remarks.