adorable
Americanadjective
-
very attractive; charming; lovable
-
rare deserving or eliciting adoration
Other Word 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.
Considering Haru’s guilt for “betraying” Luis — after his death, he repeatedly appears as a mournful ghost in a bird costume — these numbers should be piercingly emotional, not blandly adorable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
He introduced the couple’s adorable white pup to the world while starring in Tommy Hilfiger’s fall 2026 ad campaign.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
This content showed off their idyllic life with adorable "rescue chickens" and fresh-grown strawberries, against the scenic backdrop of the Santa Ynez Mountains.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Originally created in 1958, the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise follows the three singing chipmunk brothers—mischievous Alvin, intellectual Simon and adorable Theodore—and their human father-turned-manager, Dave.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
I didn’t want to be adorable the way she meant it.
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
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.
