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pixie

American  
[pik-see] / ˈpɪk si /
Also pixy

noun

plural

pixies

  1. a fairy or sprite, especially a mischievous one.

  2. a small, pert, or mischievous person.

adjective

  1. Also pixieish, pixyish. playfully impish or mischievous; prankish.

    pixie mood; a pixie sense of humor.
pixie British  
/ ˈpɪksɪ /

noun

  1. (in folklore) a fairy or elf

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pixie

First recorded in 1620–30; originally dialect (southwestern England) pixy, pigsy, pisky; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The pixie dust of film school wore off fairly quickly, she remembers.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025

She accessorised the look with a spiky beach blonde pixie cut and stylish eyeglasses.

From BBC • May 5, 2025

A small, hunched New Jersey woman named Frankie with intense eyes and a severe pixie cut is the central protagonist of the low-budget mystery “Gazer,” from first-time feature director Ryan J. Sloan.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2025

In the photo, Halsey adorns a spunky pixie haircut and overplucked skinny eyebrows to pay homage to O'Riordan's cherry red short hairdo and overall '00s punk rock aesthetic.

From Salon • Oct. 15, 2024

“I think she more than lives beside them,” the pixie objects, looking at me.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.