adorable
Americanadjective
-
very attractive; charming; lovable
-
rare deserving or eliciting adoration
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of adorable
From the Latin word adōrābilis, dating back to 1605–15. See adore, -able
Explanation
Tie a pink ribbon around your puppy's neck and push him around in a stroller, and you'll either get worried stares or compliments on how adorable he looks. Adorable means lovable, sweet, and childlike. The adjective adorable is mostly used to mean "cute," when someone is describing something sweet or charming, like a baby or a pretty dress. The origins of the word adorable are actually religious; it was first used only to mean "worthy of adoration." The Latin word adorare, "to ask in prayer," is the root of adore, which in the 14th century meant "to worship." It wasn't until the 1880s that adorable began to mean "delightful" rather than "worthy of worshiping."
Vocabulary lists containing adorable
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -able, -ible
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Positive Words to Describe People, List 2
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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.
Adorable machines have a secret advantage when it comes to their human owners.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Adorable outfits and various furry friends were laid out so patients at the hospital could create a one-of-a-kind stuffed animal just for them.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 24, 2023
Adorable clips are more than just a way to combine fun with mobility-competency testing and more than a marketing gimmick.
From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2021
Adorable drone footage came out last week showing two right whales touching bellies and wrapping their flippers around each other — appearing to “hug.”
From The Verge • May 14, 2021
Adorable Giannina, how much am I indebted to your kindness!
From The Comedies of Carlo Goldoni edited with an introduction by Helen Zimmern by Goldoni, Carlo
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.
