cutesy

Or cute·sie

[kyoot-see]

adjective

Informal.

cutesier, cutesiest 

1. forcedly and consciously cute; coyly mannered.

   cutesy greeting cards, with animals peeking from behind flowers.

cutesy

/ ˈkjuːtsɪ /

adjective

1. informal,  affectedly cute or coy

Other Word Forms

• cutesiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cutesy¹

First recorded in 1910–15; cute + -sy

Example Sentences

It’s a challenge to write from the perspective of a child without being arch or cutesy — stories about kids learning about the real world can degrade to plainspoken YA or cheap melodrama.

From Los Angeles Times

Even a tiny robot — DG-33, sort of cutesy spin on a trash compactor — has developed some quirks, namely a sassy Southern accent.

From Los Angeles Times

Not that “The Annihilation of Fish” has any patience for the cutesy tendencies that sometimes attend love stories about people with mental health problems.

From Los Angeles Times

The truth is, many of those cutesy have-to-have garden gifts look pretty at the store but serve little purpose in the real world.

From Los Angeles Times

Whoever wrote this no doubt thinks it's a cutesy troll, but what's striking is that it's more blunt than any other ad in its zero-sum mentality.

From Salon

Related Words

• gooey 
• saccharine 
• sappy 
• sentimental 
• sugary 
• syrupy