cookie cutter

¹

noun

1. a device, usually of metal, for cutting shaped forms, as circles or stars, for cookies from dough that has been rolled flat.

cookie-cutter

²

[kook-ee-kuht-er]

adjective

1. having the same configuration or look as many others of a given kind; identical.

   rows of cookie-cutter houses.

2. lacking individuality; stereotyped or formulaic.

   a novel filled with cookie-cutter characters.

cookie-cutter

noun

1. a shape with a sharp edge for cutting individual biscuits from a sheet of dough

adjective

1. resembling many others of the same kind

   a row of cookie-cutter houses

Word History and Origins

Origin of cookie-cutter¹

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05