catty remark
1
7.4
- noun
- Offensive
:
comentario maldoso
- After their argument, he couldn't help but slip in a catty remark about her cooking skills.
Examples
-
A snoop behind the scenes catching every catty remark and each fumbled sale.
Fiction book (1994) -
How sad the Dems have to attack someone personally with catty remarks to sway attention from the fact that their own agenda and stance on the issues is falling apart.
Blog text (2) -
She made a catty remark about his new haircut, which hurt his feelings.
-
His catty remarks during the meeting undermined her confidence in delivering the presentation.
Synonyms
34
6.3
An insulting remark meant to hurt someone
14
6.4
A short sharp remark meant to hurt or criticize someone
5
6.6
A remark that makes someone feel small or embarrassed
4
3.5
A rude remark that hurts or upsets someone
3
5.6
A remark said to insult someone and show you do not respect them
2
7.4
A short mocking remark meant to hurt or annoy someone
1
3.2
A rude comment meant to hurt someone or show no respect
1
7.2
A harshly critical comment that aims to hurt or mock someone
1
6.3
A short sharp comment that sounds rude
A mean remark that hurts or criticizes someone
A short sharp comment that criticizes someone in a hurtful or sarcastic way
A sharp, slightly bitter comment that can hurt feelings
A sharp remark that hurts or shocks people
A very harsh and angry comment meant to hurt someone
A rude remark that criticizes or insults someone
A remark that is harsh and meant to hurt someone's feelings
A rude comment that shows no respect for other people
Antonyms
How Mean
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally built from 'catty' (slyly hurtful) modifying 'remark' (a comment), so a learner who knows both words can directly infer a spiteful or mean comment. The adjective+noun pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning immediately accessible rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Catty remark comes from catty, a word that compares a person to a cat that scratches or hisses when angry. So a catty remark is like a small, sharp 'mean' comment meant to hurt.