cute

Meaning

Adjective

• Possessing physical features, behaviors, personality traits or other properties that are mainly attributed to infants and small or cuddly animals; e.g. fair, dainty, round, and soft physical features, disproportionately large eyes and head, playfulness, fragility, helplessness, curiosity or shyness, innocence, affectionate behavior.
• Generally, attractive or pleasing, especially in a youthful, dainty, quaint or fun-spirited way.
• Sexually attractive or pleasing; gorgeous.
• Affected or contrived to charm; mincingly clever; precious; cutesy.
• Mentally keen or discerning (See also acute)
• Evincing cleverness; surprising in its elegance or unconventionality (but of limited importance).

Related

Similar words

• endearing
• pretty

Origin

• , originally “keenly perceptive or discerning, shrewd” (1731). Meaning transferred to “pretty, fetching” by US students (slang) c.1834. Meaning drifted further to describe the pleasing attraction to features usually possessed by the young.