kittenish

[ kit-n-ish ]

adjective

1. coyly playful.
2. like or in the manner of a kitten.

kittenish

/ ˈkɪtənɪʃ /

adjective

1. like a kitten; lively
2. (of a woman) flirtatious, esp coyly flirtatious

Derived Forms

• ˈkittenishness, noun
• ˈkittenishly, adverb

Other Words From

• kitten·ish·ly adverb
• kitten·ish·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of kittenish¹

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

Example Sentences

Friends speak of a steely and determined operator beneath the kittenish veneer.

From The Daily Beast

Still, the way Zemeckis talks about Staar is in a coy, kittenish way that does not entirely suggest unparallel lives.

From The Daily Beast

And they finished with a gentle pat on his cheek and a momentary, kittenish rumpling of his hair.

From Project Gutenberg

A little kitten came up out of the garden and said something kittenish to me, and then I heard a muffled step within.

From Project Gutenberg

She tossed her head with a kittenish movement, and arched her poorly pencilled eyebrows.

From Project Gutenberg

While this kittenish comedy was going on something younger and more tragical was in progress in the two adjacent houses.

From Project Gutenberg

This object is not to be accomplished by adopting juvenile dress and kittenish ways.

From Project Gutenberg