cheeky

[chee-kee]

adjective, cheek·i·er, cheek·i·est.

impudent; insolent: a cheeky fellow; cheeky behavior.

Origin of cheeky

First recorded in 1855–60; cheek + -y¹

Related formscheek·i·ly, adverbcheek·i·ness, noun

Synonyms for cheeky

saucy, audacious, bold.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cheekily

Contemporary Examples of cheekily

We could make out what she said cheekily in response to his questions.
The Life of a Liberian Child with Ebola
Sarah Crowe
November 5, 2014
The wrestling worthy accessory is a bit of a misnomer—there is no cheekily exposed skin in this full-coverage contraption.
Is the Facekini the Future of Beachwear?
Justin Jones
August 23, 2014
It would come down to what McDonough cheekily called the “half Monty” versus the “full Monty.”
Obama’s Drone Debacle
Daniel Klaidman
March 10, 2013
“There might be a little chance of romance, you never know,” he said cheekily.
The New Doctor Who
Jace Lacob
March 31, 2010
They were cheekily copying art from the fair and selling it.
The Coolest Works at Frieze
Anthony Haden-Guest
October 22, 2009

Historical Examples of cheekily

He looked at me, cheekily; then he vanished through the gate.
Tommy Wideawake
H. H. Bashford

British Dictionary definitions for cheekily

cheeky

adjective cheekier or cheekiest

disrespectful in speech or behaviour; impudenta cheeky child

Derived Formscheekily, adverbcheekiness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for cheekily

cheeky

adj.

1859, from cheek in its sense of "insolence" + -y (2). Related: Cheekily; cheekiness.