kitchenette
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of kitchenette
Explanation
A kitchenette is a very small, scaled-down area for doing basic cooking and food preparation. If your fancy hotel suite has a kitchenette, you can make popcorn in the microwave. The suffix -ette is used as a diminutive, to mean "a small version," and that's just what a kitchenette is — a kitchen, but smaller. Sometimes a kitchenette is distinguished by its pint-sized appliances, like miniature refrigerators and narrow stovetops. It might also be missing certain standard elements of a kitchen, like a sink or a dishwasher. If you're staying in a hotel or living in a college dorm, a kitchenette can be all the kitchen you need.
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.
Behind the scenes, Tesla engineers were working out of a kitchenette on campus.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026
While a bit dated, the room had a kitchenette and a microwave, as well as a separate fridge from the minibar setup.
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025
The second level features “a second primary suite, au pair suite with kitchenette and private entry, and additional en suites,” according to the listing.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 14, 2025
Hers is one of nine rooms with a bathroom and kitchenette and she is proud to have changed her life and wants to give something back.
From BBC • Nov. 17, 2024
She sat at the gray folding table in the kitchenette, a heap of tom paper scraps in front of her.
From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements
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.
