twee
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What else does twee mean? Twee describes someone or something as affectedly and cloyingly cute, sweet, and quaint. It's also a subgenre of indie pop music.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of twee
1900–05; apparently reduced from tweet (perhaps via pronunciation twiʔ ), mimicking child's pronunciation of sweet
Explanation
Something is twee if it's a little too cute or overly adorable. A children's book that is sweet and sentimental, illustrated with squirrels in little dresses, could be described as twee. You could call a flowery hat twee, or describe an elaborate tea party, complete with lacy napkins, fancy silverware, and dressed-up guests, as twee. The word is traditionally British, and its original meaning could have described a dollhouse: "tiny, dainty, or miniature." Much as tummy comes from stomach, twee stems from the (overly adorable) way a child might pronounce the word sweet.
Vocabulary lists containing twee
This Week In Words: August 30–September 4, 2020
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Far from the Tree
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Symphony for the City of the Dead
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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.
In fact, “The Life of Chuck” makes the most terrifying assertion of the summer so far: Twee is headed for a revival.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2025
Here’s the truth: Twee conventions and dusty formality are never charming and never were.
From Slate • Mar. 22, 2015
And Marc Spitz, author of the recently released book Twee, sees what she means.
From Time • Jul. 17, 2014
Twee cartoons of the London skyline adorn packets of biscuits.
From The Guardian • Jun. 16, 2014
Every fiddler, he had a fiddle, and a very fine fiddle had he; Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.
From The Home Book of Verse — Volume 1 by Stevenson, Burton Egbert
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.
