cute

American  

[kyoot] / kyut /

adjective

cuter, cutest

1. attractive, especially in a dainty way; pleasingly pretty.

   a cute child; a cute little apartment.

2. appealing and delightful; charming.

   What a cute toy!

3. affectedly or mincingly pretty or clever; precious.

   The child has acquired some intolerably cute mannerisms.

4. mentally keen; clever; shrewd.

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noun

1. Informal. the cutes, self-consciously cute mannerisms or appeal; affected coyness.

   The young actress has a bad case of the cutes.

idioms

1. meet cute,

   1. (of a romantic couple) to meet for the first time in a charming or amusing way.

      In this type of movie the boy and girl always meet cute.

   2. Also meet-cute a situation or occasion when potential romantic partners meet for the first time in a charming or amusing way.

      a classic Hollywood meet cute; his meet-cute with Jane in the bookstore.

cute British  

/ kjuːt /

adjective

1. appealing or attractive, esp in a pretty way

2. informal sexually attractive

3. informal affecting cleverness or prettiness

4. clever; shrewd

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Other Word Forms

• cutely adverb
• cuteness noun

Etymology

Origin of cute

First recorded in 1615–25; aphetic variant of acute

Explanation

The adjective cute describes something that’s attractive in a pleasing, nonthreatening way. Things that are small or young are often described as cute, like babies, puppies, or toy fire engines. Something that’s cute is easy to like. We usually use cute to describe how something looks, like your cute smile or your cute dimples, but you can use it for anything that’s endearing or pleasing, like the boy-gets-girl ending to a romantic comedy. Cute can also refer to something that’s overly clever and a little bit fake. Don’t be too cute when you fill out a college application — the person reading it might not think it’s so funny.

Example Sentences

"It's like if the Manhattan Project announced the nuclear bomb within a cute little Calvin and Hobbes cartoon."

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Fans have called his work "the funniest", "great" and "cute".

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

"I think it would have been pretty cute," said study co-author Julia Clarke, a professor at the Jackson School.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

It’s cute, fun to drive and made by a company whose leadership isn’t as bogged down with robots, robotaxis and other potential distractions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

Dad swears Mom’s nose is as cute as ever and I don’t notice anything different about it, but she still touches it gingerly when he starts talking about some big new idea he’s got going.

From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• adorable
• beautiful
• charming
• delightful
• pleasant
• pretty