cute

American  

[kyoot] / kyut /

adjective

cuter, cutest

1. attractive, especially in a dainty way; pleasingly pretty.

   a cute child; a cute little apartment.

2. appealing and delightful; charming.

   What a cute toy!

3. affectedly or mincingly pretty or clever; precious.

   The child has acquired some intolerably cute mannerisms.

4. mentally keen; clever; shrewd.

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noun

1. Informal. the cutes, self-consciously cute mannerisms or appeal; affected coyness.

   The young actress has a bad case of the cutes.

idioms

1. meet cute,

   1. (of a romantic couple) to meet for the first time in a charming or amusing way.

      In this type of movie the boy and girl always meet cute.

   2. Also meet-cute a situation or occasion when potential romantic partners meet for the first time in a charming or amusing way.

      a classic Hollywood meet cute; his meet-cute with Jane in the bookstore.

cute British  

/ kjuːt /

adjective

1. appealing or attractive, esp in a pretty way

2. informal sexually attractive

3. informal affecting cleverness or prettiness

4. clever; shrewd

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Other Word Forms

• cutely adverb
• cuteness noun

Etymology

Origin of cute

First recorded in 1615–25; aphetic variant of acute

Example Sentences

"It was just the cutest thing, because it showed he cared, and it was the thought that mattered," she said.

From BBC

That, in a sense, defines the problem: generational labels aren’t just cute tags we can place on someone to blame them for avocado toast.

From Salon

A cute companion robot with bright eyes used its mechanical hands to make a heart.

From Los Angeles Times

Now, she revealed, “it’s the cute spot where you put that one friend who booked the trip super last minute.”

From MarketWatch

“My dad’s like, “Go for it, how cute!,” she recalled.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• adorable
• beautiful
• charming
• delightful
• pleasant
• pretty