cuddly
Americanadjective
-
cuddlier,
comparative
-
cuddliest
superlative
Other Word Forms
Adjective Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cuddly
Explanation
Something (or someone) that's soft, snuggly, and huggable is cuddly. Your pet rabbit is so cuddly that you wish you could bring her to school, so you'd be able to hold and hug her all day long. Some people are naturally cuddly, either because they love to hug you, or because they're particularly plump and comfortable. The same is true for animals and dolls — there are some things that seem to be made for cuddling. Cuddly comes from the adorable word cuddle, which probably stems from the obsolete verb cull, "to embrace," or possibly the Middle English couth, "known" or "comfortable with."
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.
See Examples For:
Some of the world's biggest and most powerful brands are attempting to be more cute and cuddly.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
"So many companies are getting a massively bad rap for being these techno overlords. What better way to cut through than to create a cute and cuddly, anthropomorphic mascot?"
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
In a warm, cuddly segment, he taught Elmo the meaning of the salutation “as-salamu alaykum.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
But the fauna turn out not to be as cuddly as they appear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
She was mother’s sister, a wonderfully round, cuddly woman with flowing wavy hair and a warm smile.
From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals
Seuss’ Grinch sits somewhere in the middle — cuddlier than Krampus and pricklier than Santa — making him the perfect avatar for a moody, uncertain age.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2025
If you really want a sandwich, I’d turn your attention to two other options, the Nashville and its cuddlier cousin, the Atlanta.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 27, 2021
This is an elegant fix that allows the public to consume real-time audio with the added benefit of felt creatures that will be far cuddlier than Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2017
A black Lab from Australia named Helen romps valiantly in “Game of Bones,” a cuddlier reimagining of a certain HBO hit.
From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2015
Elsie was sweet as honey and cuddlier than a kitten.
From Bloom of Cactus by Ralph P. (Ralph Pallen) Coleman
So that’s the mechanism that could explain a precipitous drop in how long your cuddliest family member could live.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2023
"She's not the cuddliest person in the world, but it's just a different show now and she's making it her own," the programme's maths guru Rachel Riley told Lorraine recently.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2021
Mostly, though, the former Beatle was providing the kind of inoffensive good vibes that have made him perhaps rock’s cuddliest superstar over the last half-century.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2016
“Japan has the cuddliest police in the world,” Mr. Parry writes, comparing them to “a tribe of earnest Boy Scouts.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2012
This might seem uncharitable, but Father Solomon's disgust is not without merit; if you're going to be terrorized into constantly sacrificing your cuddliest livestock, shouldn't you have some grasp of the beast's schedule?
From Time ● Mar. 11, 2011
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.
