catlike

adjective or adverb

cat·​like ˈkat-ˌlīk How to pronounce catlike (audio)
: resembling a cat
especially : stealthy
with catlike tread, upon our prey we steal W. S. Gilbert

Examples of catlike in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web To be sure, Hopkins delivers a lively performance, with Goode suffering from the limitations of Brown and St. Germain’s script, under which Jack is little more than a mouse being toyed with by Sigmund’s catlike arguments and intellect. Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 2 Jan. 2024 Many of these are small birds, mammals and reptiles that are endemic to islands that lack natural catlike predators, meaning prey are naive and relatively defenseless. Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2023 There’s all kinds of stuff that has tried to be a bit catlike in different ways—mongooses, things like that. Kate Wong, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2023 Overview With its catlike reflexes and impressive power figures, the 2023 BMW X3 M feels and drives more like a sports car than an SUV. Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 22 June 2023 Woodard has a wiry, catlike energy, a uniquely husky voice, a style of line delivery that feels spontaneous and a confident way connecting eye-to-eye with her audience. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2023 Expert climbers and light on their feet, they’re often considered catlike. Yolanda Wikiel, Good Housekeeping, 24 Feb. 2023 And then Twig is very catlike, very aloof, very strange, very complicated. Jen Chaney, Vulture, 31 May 2021 As the bitchy, bleach-blonde ingénue Claire Woods, Samara Weaving continues her streak of being an edgier, icier, more catlike doppelganger for her fellow countrywoman Margot Robbie. Philippa Snow, The New Republic, 1 May 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'catlike.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1554, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of catlike was in 1554

Dictionary Entries Near catlike

Cite this Entry

“Catlike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catlike. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

catlike

adjective or adverb
cat·​like ˈkat-ˌlīk How to pronounce catlike (audio)
: resembling a cat especially in being quick and silent

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