Meaning & use
cat lady
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Meanings
nouncountableinformaldisapproving
an informal, often unkind term for a woman who lives alone and is thought to care more about her cats than about people.
Grammar: Countable: say 'a cat lady' or 'cat ladies'; it usually comes after a word like 'old' or 'crazy'.
Patterns
- a cat lady
- become a cat lady
- live like a cat lady
The newspaper used the phrase 'cat lady' in a way that many readers found insulting.
My aunt jokes that she is turning into a cat lady now that she has adopted three kittens.
nouncountablehumorous
a woman who keeps many cats and is known among friends for her strong love of them, used playfully.
Grammar: Used this way it is friendly teasing rather than a real insult, often with 'proud' or 'self-described'.
Patterns
- a proud cat lady
- call yourself a cat lady
She calls herself a proud cat lady and posts photos of her cats every day.
At the shelter party, half the guests happily described themselves as cat ladies.
Word forms
| plural | cat ladies |
|---|
Common combinations
- an old cat lady
- The film lazily made the neighbor an old cat lady with no other interests.
- a crazy cat lady
- Calling her a crazy cat lady was rude and unfair.
- a self-described cat lady
- He is a self-described cat lady who volunteers at a rescue center.
- turn into a cat lady
- After adopting two more kittens, he joked that he was turning into a cat lady.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cat lover
- Neutral and positive; it says someone likes cats but says nothing about living alone or being mocked.
- spinster
- An old-fashioned and offensive word for an unmarried woman; it is not about cats and is now seen as insulting.
Word family
Commonly confused: cat lady or catlady?
cat lady vs catlady
Some people write it as one word, but the standard spelling keeps a space: cat lady.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'cat lady' in the most neutral, factual way?
Choose one answer.
'Cat lady' describes a woman strongly associated with cats, so 'loves her pets' fits the meaning. Option 0 adds 'lives alone,' which is a stereotype rather than part of the definition, and option 2 contradicts the word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cat lady”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.