catchy

C3A1T1C3H4Y4
/ˈkæt͡ʃi//ˈkɛt͡ʃi/

adjective

Instantly appealing and memorable.

“a catchy wind”

Similar
Less commonScrabble 16

Meanings

adjectivecatchy (comparative catchier, superlative catchiest)

comparative catchier · superlative catchiest

  1. Instantly appealing and memorable.

    This hook is so catchy that I can't stop listening to it!

    3 more examples

    Eric wrote a catchy tune to play on his acoustic guitar while Alyssa plays the drums.

    Because in today's 2,000mph technological freefall, he who coins the catchiest buzzword generally wins the debate by default.

    2010 August 30, Charlie Brooker, “Buzzwords for blowhards”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 30 May 2023

    The best of friends become the worst of enemies when Barney makes a hilarious attack ad where he viciously pummels a cardboard cut-out of Homer before special guest star Linda Ronstadt joins the fun to both continue the attack on the helpless Homer stand-in and croon a slanderously accurate, insanely catchy jingle about how “Mr. Plow is a loser/And I think he is a boozer.”

    2012 June 3, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Mr. Plow” (season 4, episode 9; originally aired 11/19/1992)”, in AV Club, archived from the original on 28 Dec 2012
  2. datedfigurativelyTending to catch or ensnare; entangling.

    a catchy question

    Synonyms: tricky

  3. datedConsisting of, or occurring in, disconnected parts or snatches; changeable.

    a catchy wind

    1 more example

    Encyc. of Sport It [the fox's scent] is […] flighty or catchy, if variable.

  4. Contagious; catching.

    The catchy cold which has been transmitted to you directly or indirectly might have been avoided had you been in better physical condition.

    1941, Florence LaGanke Harris, Hazel Hanna Huston, The New Home Economics Omnibus

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveTending to catch or ensnare; entangling.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivehaving concealed difficulty

adjectivelikely to attract attention

Similar
attention-gettingappealing

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kapyéti
  3. Proto-Indo-European*kaptós
  4. Proto-Italic*kaptos
  5. Latincaptus
  6. Vulgar Latin*captiāre
  7. Old Frenchchacier
  8. Anglo-Normancachier
  9. Middle Englishcacchen
  10. Englishcatch
  11. Englishcatchy

From catch + -y.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan enganxós
  • enganxósinstantly appealing and memorable
Chinese Mandarin 抓耳
  • 抓耳 (zhuāěr)instantly appealing and memorable
Czech chytlavý
  • chytlavýinstantly appealing and memorable
Danish fængende, iøjnefaldende
  • fængendeinstantly appealing and memorable
  • iøjnefaldendeinstantly appealing and memorable
  • iørefaldendeinstantly appealing and memorable
Dutch aanstekelijk, pakkend
  • aanstekelijkinstantly appealing and memorable
  • pakkendinstantly appealing and memorable
Finnish tarttuva, iskevä
  • tarttuvainstantly appealing and memorable
  • iskeväinstantly appealing and memorable
French entraînant
  • entraînantinstantly appealing and memorable
German einprägsam, griffig
  • einprägsaminstantly appealing and memorable
  • griffiginstantly appealing and memorable
  • packendinstantly appealing and memorable
  • eingängiginstantly appealing and memorable
Greek πιασάρικος
  • πιασάρικος (piasárikos)instantly appealing and memorable
Hungarian fülbemászó
  • fülbemászóinstantly appealing and memorable
Italian accattivante, orecchiabile
  • accattivanteinstantly appealing and memorable
  • orecchiabileinstantly appealing and memorable
Japanese キャッチーな, 覚えやすい
  • キャッチーな (kyatchi na)instantly appealing and memorable
  • 覚えやすい (oboe-yasui)instantly appealing and memorable
  • 耳に残る (mimi ni nokoru)instantly appealing and memorable
Norwegian Bokmål fengende
  • fengendeinstantly appealing and memorable
Polish chwytliwy
  • chwytliwyinstantly appealing and memorable
Portuguese memorável, contagiante
  • memorávelinstantly appealing and memorable
  • contagianteinstantly appealing and memorable
  • cativanteinstantly appealing and memorable
Russian привя́зчивый, запомина́ющийся
  • привя́зчивый (privjázčivyj)instantly appealing and memorable
  • запомина́ющийся (zapominájuščijsja)instantly appealing and memorable
Spanish pegadizo, pegajoso
  • pegadizoinstantly appealing and memorable
  • pegajosoinstantly appealing and memorable
Swedish medryckande, trallvänlig
  • medryckandeinstantly appealing and memorable
  • trallvänliginstantly appealing and memorable
  • svängiginstantly appealing and memorable

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with catchy

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

catchy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catchy

MLA

“catchy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catchy. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “catchy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catchy.

Source: catchy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.