cattish

9.3

Being sly and mean when you speak, often making small hurtful remarks

adjective
/ˈkætɪʃ/

: malicioso

Her cattish comments made the meeting uncomfortable for everyone present.

Examples

Her comments were quite cattish today.
The article was filled with cattish remarks about the celebrity's fashion choices.
He gave me a cattish smile, full of mischief and unspoken criticism.
Why are you so cattish lately?
Her cattish comments during the meeting made it clear that she wasn't pleased with his proposal.
He always had a cattish way of turning innocent questions into sly criticisms.
Despite her cheerful demeanor, her cattish remarks often revealed a deeper bitterness.

Synonyms

mean

vscattish

699 2.2

Unkind and cruel toward other people

is focused on speech and sly intent rather than general cruelty

bitchy

vscattish

Offensive

34 8.1

Saying or doing mean things that hurt people in small ways

is more sly and generally shows deeper malice

spiteful

vscattish

23 5.1

Wanting to hurt or upset someone on purpose

is more limited to remarks and sly conversational malice

catty

vscattish

Offensive

12 7.2

Saying mean, hurtful things about someone

is the identical sense used especially for speech and remarks

venomous-tongued

vscattish

Literature

9.4

Saying harsh, mean things that hurt people

is similar but focuses more on sly conversational malice

snidery

vscattish

9.9

Having a mean or hurtful tone that makes people feel small

is more about sly malice than mere mockery

Antonyms

kind

534 1.0

Being helpful and caring toward other people

gentle

235 1.0

Kind and not strong in action, sound, or touch

How Spiteful

malicious

89 5.8

spiteful

23 5.1

cattish

9.3

snide

26 7.5

sharp

46 4.2

Surface Forms

cattish positive

Morphology

cattish = catty (transparent) = cat + ish

Formed from the adjective 'catty' with the adjectival '-ish' meaning 'somewhat or like', so the meaning is directly related and predictable.

Etymology

The word cattish comes from cat and the ending -ish, which means 'like'. Think of a cat's quiet hiss or sharp look; a cattish remark is sly, a little mean, and full of hidden criticism.