kittenish

American  

[kit-n-ish] / ˈkɪt n ɪʃ /

adjective

1. coyly playful.

2. like or in the manner of a kitten.

---

kittenish British  

/ ˈkɪtənɪʃ /

adjective

1. like a kitten; lively

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

---

Other Word Forms

• kittenishly adverb
• kittenishness noun

Etymology

Origin of kittenish

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

Example Sentences

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

The old woman was almost kittenish around him.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell