cute

[kyoot]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cute ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, cut·er, cut·est.

attractive, especially in a dainty way; pleasingly pretty: a cute child; a cute little apartment.

appealing and delightful; charming: What a cute toy!

affectedly or mincingly pretty or clever; precious: The child has acquired some intolerably cute mannerisms.

mentally keen; clever; shrewd.

noun

the cutes, Informal. self-consciously cute mannerisms or appeal; affected coyness: The young actress has a bad case of the cutes.

Idioms

meet cute, Informal.

(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.
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.

Origin of cute

First recorded in 1615–25; aphetic variant of acute

Related formscute·ly, adverbcute·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cutely

handsomely, gracefully, splendidly, wonderfully, magnificently, gorgeously, sublimely, exquisitely, superbly, appealingly, delightfully, elegantly, seductively, excellently, prettily, alluringly, celestially, divinely, entrancingly, ideally

Examples from the Web for cutely

Historical Examples of cutely

La Frochard administered a terrible pinch that pulled Louise away, then “mothered” her cutely.
Orphans of the Storm
Henry MacMahon

British Dictionary definitions for cutely

cute

adjective

appealing or attractive, esp in a pretty way

mainly US informal sexually attractive

informal affecting cleverness or prettiness

clever; shrewd

Derived Formscutely, adverbcuteness, noun

Word Origin for cute

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cutely

cute

adj.

1731, "clever," shortening of acute; informal sense of "pretty" is 1834, American English student slang. Related: Cuteness.