kitchenette
Americannoun
-
kitchenettes
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of kitchenette
Explanation
A kitchenette is a very small, scaled-down area for doing basic cooking and food preparation. If your fancy hotel suite has a kitchenette, you can make popcorn in the microwave. The suffix -ette is used as a diminutive, to mean "a small version," and that's just what a kitchenette is — a kitchen, but smaller. Sometimes a kitchenette is distinguished by its pint-sized appliances, like miniature refrigerators and narrow stovetops. It might also be missing certain standard elements of a kitchen, like a sink or a dishwasher. If you're staying in a hotel or living in a college dorm, a kitchenette can be all the kitchen you need.
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.
See Examples For:
A small kitchenette installed on each floor cost nearly 8,000 euros, excluding appliances.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
The building has a kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
“She’s both grandmother and co-parent to my children. To be able to give her the space that she deserves was important. She had her own entrance, her own living room and kitchenette area.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
“Each unit will provide a bed, a bathroom with shower, a kitchenette with sink, microwave, refrigerator, and HVAC,” the notice said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
I make my way to the kitchenette, shambling a little, keeping my coat on because of the cold.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
The Detroit building had elevated Legionella levels in its rooftop cooling tower, kitchenettes and a holding facility.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 21, 2023
After a multimillion-dollar reconstruction by Xanterra Travel Collection, the South Lodge now has four two-story buildings with 90 standard guest rooms and 30 kitchenettes.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2023
Hacienda del Sol, 610 Palm Canyon Drive, open but still under renovation, currently offers six motor-lodge rooms and six “casita” units with kitchenettes, as well as a heated 40-foot swimming pool.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2023
It had a greengrocer and several small shops, offering easy access to basics for our apartment kitchenettes, and it was just a 10-minute tram ride into the heart of Florence.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 23, 2022
The builder of twentieth century flats with his kitchenettes and his in-door beds might learn a good deal from a study of the smaller type of submarine.
From Aircraft and Submarines The Story of the Invention, Development, and Present-Day Uses of War's Newest Weapons by Willis J. (Willis John) Abbot
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.
