cheeky

American  

[chee-kee] / ˈtʃi ki /

adjective

cheekier, cheekiest

1. rude or disrespectful, especially in a playful or witty way; saucy; bold.

   With his trademark cheeky glint in his eye, he told me to get lost.

   A high dose of cheeky slapstick keeps the narrative rolling along.

   Synonyms:

   bold, audacious, saucy

2. Informal. taken or done for sheer self-indulgent pleasure, usually spontaneously and in defiance of convention or normal restraint.

   This dish makes a great small dessert bowl, perfect for a cheeky scoop of ice cream.

   While in London for work I went for a cheeky spa break.

3. Slang. (of shorts, underwear, etc.) incompletely or scantily covering the buttocks.

   My new swimsuit has a retro triangle white top and a teal cheeky bottom.

---

noun

1. Slang. Often cheekies a pair of underpants, shorts, etc., that incompletely or scantily cover the buttocks.

   Some feel comfier in a cheeky than in a thong.

   I spent Saturday morning lounging in my favorite T-shirt and a pair of cheekies.

cheeky British  

/ ˈtʃiːkɪ /

adjective

1. disrespectful in speech or behaviour; impudent

   a cheeky child

---

Usage

What does cheeky mean? Cheeky means bold, brash, and a bit rude, but also maybe a little playful and amusing.Cheeky is an adjective that is typically used to describe a person or their actions or comments. It is most commonly used in the U.K., but it is frequently used elsewhere as well.Example: During her speech, she managed to sneak in a cheeky remark about her previous employer.

Other Word Forms

• cheekily adverb
• cheekiness noun

Etymology

Origin of cheeky

First recorded in 1855–60; cheek + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Alyssa Milano, who was Dane’s romantic co-star on “Charmed,” shared a heartfelt message on Instagram praising his cheeky, yet tender spirit and deep love for his daughters.

From Los Angeles Times

His family wrote in a tribute: "Our beautiful soft skinned, beautiful long eye lashed boy with a cheeky charming infectious smile that touched everyone's hearts left this dimension early this morning in my arms."

From BBC

"We can be naughty, we can be mischievous, we can be cheeky, we can have fun, we can have great banter too," he says.

From BBC

"He was cheeky, mischievous and loving, and he'd do anything for anyone," she said.

From BBC

She then skated away to serve her two minutes, a cheeky grin plastered across her face, chirping all the way to the penalty box.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bold
• brash
• saucy