What does caterwauled mean?
Caterwauled is the past tense of the verb caterwaul, meaning to make a loud, shrill, wavering cry reminiscent of a cat in heat. The word is most literally applied to cats yowling during mating season, especially at night, when their cries are famously piercing and unsettling. By extension, it describes people who quarrel loudly, complain stridently, or sing with grating disharmony, as in critics who claimed the rock stars caterwauled rather than sang. The verb carries strongly negative connotations of unpleasant, discordant noise and is generally informal or literary in flavor, lending color to descriptions of chaotic sound. It derives from Middle Dutch 'cater' (tomcat) combined with English 'waul', a variant of wawl meaning to cry like a cat, giving it a vivid, onomatopoeic character. Writers reach for it when they want something more evocative than merely 'howled' or 'shrieked'.
verb (past tense and past participle of caterwaul)Past tense of caterwaul: made a shrill, wailing, discordant noise, like a cat in heat, or (of people) quarreled loudly and unpleasantly.
- (of an animal, especially a cat) made a shrill yowling or wailing sound, as in mating season
- (of people) argued or sang noisily and unpleasantly
"The cats caterwauled on the fence all through the night."
"Tomcats caterwauled in the alley until well past midnight."
"The rival politicians caterwauled at each other throughout the debate."
The 'cater' in caterwaul has nothing to do with caterpillars — it comes from Middle Dutch 'cater', meaning tomcat.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of caterwauled
Caterwaul entered English in the early 17th century, formed from Middle Dutch 'cater', meaning tomcat, joined to the English verb 'waul', a variant of wawl meaning to cry like a cat. The compound thus literally means 'tomcat-cry', capturing exactly the sound it describes. Its earliest uses referred specifically to the nocturnal yowling of amorous cats before extending metaphorically to human squabbling and bad singing.
Related word forms
How caterwauled is actually used
Informal to literary register, usually vivid or mildly humorous in tone. Almost always carries a negative connotation of unpleasant, grating noise. Typically applied to cats, but figuratively extended to people arguing or performing badly.
Easily confused with caterwauled
Catercornered means positioned diagonally, while caterwauled describes having made a harsh wailing noise — the shared 'cater-' element comes from different sources.