cute
[ kyoot ]
/ kyut /
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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.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Idioms about cute
- (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.
meet cute, Informal.
Origin of cute
First recorded in 1615–25; aphetic variant of acute
OTHER WORDS FROM cute
cutely, adverbcuteness, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cute in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for cute
cute
/ (kjuːt) /
adjective
appealing or attractive, esp in a pretty way
mainly US informal sexually attractive
informal affecting cleverness or prettiness
clever; shrewd
Derived forms of cute
cutely, adverbcuteness, nounWord Origin for cute
C18 (in the sense: clever): shortened from acute
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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