cute
Americanadjective
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attractive, especially in a dainty way; pleasingly pretty.
a cute child; a cute little apartment.
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appealing and delightful; charming.
What a cute toy!
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affectedly or mincingly pretty or clever; precious.
The child has acquired some intolerably cute mannerisms.
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mentally keen; clever; shrewd.
noun
idioms
adjective
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appealing or attractive, esp in a pretty way
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informal sexually attractive
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informal affecting cleverness or prettiness
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clever; shrewd
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She has composed a night song for him, “Land of Cute and Furry,” set to the tune of the Elgar march “Land of Hope and Glory.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
Our chat began with the usual song and dance of gay online dating: Cute dog.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025
"Today’s young women know that neurotic isn’t cute. Cute isn’t cute. Neither is flustered, madcap, zany, flighty, flaky, harried or hapless - all adjectives that apply to Bridget."
From BBC • Oct. 14, 2024
In the video post, Meet Cute stops the President and first lady Jill Biden at the White House and asks them to share their love story.
From Salon • Feb. 17, 2024
Cute as she is, it looks like someone took a bucket of freckles and tossed it beneath each eye.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
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.
