cute

[kyoot]

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.

noun

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

   The young actress has a bad case of the cutes.

cute

/ kjuːt /

adjective

1. appealing or attractive, esp in a pretty way

2. informal,  sexually attractive

3. informal,  affecting cleverness or prettiness

4. clever; shrewd

Other Word Forms

• cutely adverb
• cuteness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cute¹

First recorded in 1615–25; aphetic variant of acute

Word History and Origins

Origin of cute¹

C18 (in the sense: clever): shortened from _acute

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

Despite promoting her athleticism, she avoids being seen as strong and capable, preferring sports photos that emphasize how “cute” and “lil” her clothes are.

Read more on Salon

Stuckey also interviewed several sponsors of the conference—cute clothing! pasture-raised beef!—about what it means “to put Christ at the center of your business.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Even playing in their raucous Rogers Centre north of the border in the opener Friday, the cute little Toronto Blue Jays were supposed to be a far inferior team, eh?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Even as they warm to one another, the still-anxious Boy begins feeling queasy, with disastrous results that literally and spectacularly spoil his cute first-date gift of a stuffed animal.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Consumers can ask AI almost anything, including whether that jacket they’re eyeing is cute.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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