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:
“My grandfather was a gardener. She would tell cute little stories about him,” said Rosemary Madera, Cenovia’s daughter, who traveled to the event from Montana.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
“It’s a cute little treat and it’s cheap.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
The court heard the actor - who played gang leader Jamie in Top Boy - thought the woman was "very cute" when he met her and sensed "there was interest there".
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Scientists are concerned the frog's "cute" looks could increase demand from collectors.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
If her sister was so cute, was she cute, too?
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
Time was ticking and I wasn’t getting any younger or cuter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
Nora Ephron couldn’t have written a cuter outing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2024
However, amid the photos of McCarthy looking completely exasperated, I tumbled down a much cuter rabbit hole this week.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2023
Oh, we’ve got to be cuter; maybe more fans will get into it.’
From Washington Post ● Mar. 31, 2023
This little creature is much cuter than the rats that plague the Ranch’s compost piles.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
I attended high school there and had the cutest boyfriend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
"We have the cutest little tree, our bed is all covered in little lights, I'd made a home-made wreath," said Mrs Poole.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025
And my granddaughters are the cutest things with MaTurk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 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
Inside was the cutest little puppy I’ve ever seen in my life.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
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.
