catchy

IPA/ˈkætʃi/
KK[kˈætʃˌi]IPA/ˈkætʃi/

catchy — adjective

  • catchypositive
  • catchiercomparative
  • catchiestsuperlative

1. A catchy tune, song, name, or phrase is appealing and easy to keep in your memor

1.形容詞B1
釋義

A catchy tune, song, name, or phrase is appealing and easy to keep in your memory, so it stays in your thoughts.

例句

The chorus of that pop song is so catchy that I have been humming it all day.

so catchy that-clause (result pattern)

The advertising agency created a catchy slogan that everyone in the city could repeat.

attributive: catchy slogan

同義詞
  • memorable

    broader — can describe any experience or event, not just sound-related things

  • infectious

    stronger emotional pull; suggests the feeling spreads quickly to others

  • addictive

    suggests you cannot stop listening or repeating it

  • appealing

    more general; does not carry the 'easy to remember' part of the meaning

反義詞
  • forgettable

    the direct opposite — something not worth remembering

  • dull

    lacking the quality that makes a tune or song interesting

文法句型

catchy + noun (attr.)

be + catchy (pred.)

so catchy that-clause

用法筆記

Frequently used with nouns related to sound and memory: tune, song, melody, chorus, slogan, jingle, name, phrase. Unlike 'memorable', 'catchy' suggests something repeated mentally without effort, almost as if by accident.

常見錯誤

❌The movie had a catchy plot.
✅The movie had an engaging plot.
💡Catchy is almost never used for stories or events; it describes tunes, songs, slogans, and names that are easy to remember.
❌She has a catchy personality.
✅She has a charming personality.
💡Catchy does not describe people's character; use words like charming, likeable, or outgoing instead.

2. A catchy question, problem, or part of a document is more complicated than it fi

2.形容詞C1
釋義

A catchy question, problem, or part of a document is more complicated than it first appears, often because it is designed to test how carefully you read or think.

例句

The exam included several catchy questions that required careful reading.

attributive: catchy questions

Asher warned everyone that the contract had a catchy clause hidden in the fine print.

同義詞
  • tricky

    more common in everyday speech; carries the same hidden-difficulty idea

  • deceptive

    stronger suggestion of deliberate misleading; can sound more formal

  • troublesome

    broader — not limited to hidden traps; any kind of difficulty

反義詞
  • straightforward

    clear and easy to understand, with no hidden difficulty

  • simple

    not complicated; easy to do or understand

文法句型

catchy + noun (attr.)

be + catchy (pred.)

用法筆記

This sense is far less common than sense 1 ('MEMORABLE TUNE'). It appears mainly in informal discussion of exams, puzzles, contracts, and other documents where a hidden difficulty is deliberately placed. In everyday speech, 'tricky' is more natural than 'catchy' for this meaning.

常見錯誤

❌The maths homework was catchy.
✅The maths homework was tricky.
💡Catchy (sense 2) implies deliberate deception or a hidden trap, not just general difficulty.
❌She told a catchy story.
✅She told an engaging story.
💡Catchy does not describe narratives; use engaging, gripping, or fascinating instead.