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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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.
See Examples For:
Scientists are concerned the frog's "cute" looks could increase demand from collectors.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Because “Romería” is a coming-of-age story, Marina will be tempted by cute boys; she’ll also begin to display a rebellious streak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
We lived in a cute two-story brick house.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
And, because it’s about a group of Gen Z-ish forest animals, it can almost seem … cute?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
Daisy smiled and said, “Aw, Jay Berry, you’re just trying to be cute now.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
He was cuter and more interesting than I expected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Time was ticking and I wasn’t getting any younger or cuter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
However, amid the photos of McCarthy looking completely exasperated, I tumbled down a much cuter rabbit hole this week.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2023
"It looks cuter than I expected," he said.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2022
But the moment I see him, I stop thinking altogether, because, wow: he’s gotten even cuter.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Zoe says her post was a success - with more than 20,000 likes and comments including: "No stop this is the cutest thing ever" and "this trend is adorable!!!!"
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2025
“It genuinely is the cutest cup I’ve ever seen,” said Thomas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
No matter the outcome on Oscar night, the contest for cutest animated short has been settled: It’s French writer-director Loïc Espuche’s chronicle of a kid’s first kiss, “Yuck!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025
"But you definitely get fewer applications for black cats and, like, this guy —" Fairbanks held up the cutest gray kitten "— you know, just a, quote, 'plain tabby.'"
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2024
“Akh. So cute. The cutest boy you have ever seen,” my mom would say.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
