cute

Share this

cute [adjective] (ATTRACTIVE)
US /kjuːt/ 
UK /kjuːt/ 
Example: 

his sister is cute though not really beautiful

Oxford Essential Dictionary

cute

 adjective (cuter, cutest)
pretty and attractive:
What a cute little puppy!

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

cute

cute S2 /kjuːt/ BrE AmE adjective
[Date: 1700-1800; Origin: acute]
1. very pretty or attractive:
a cute little puppy
The baby’s so cute.
That’s a really cute outfit.
2. especially American English sexually attractive:
Tell us about this cute guy you met!
3. especially American English clever in a way that can seem rude:
Their lawyer tried a cute trick.
—cutely adverb
—cuteness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
■ person
beautiful a beautiful woman or child has perfect good looks: Grace Kelly was a very beautiful woman. | a beautiful baby
good-looking a good-looking person looks nice. Good-looking is very common in spoken English: He’s a good-looking guy, but he’s a bit boring. | Do you think she’s good-looking?
attractive an attractive person looks nice, especially in a way that makes you feel sexually interested in them: She’s a very attractive woman. | A lot of women find him attractive.
pretty a pretty girl or woman looks nice – used especially about a woman who has a nice face: You look pretty with your hair down. | She has a very pretty face.
handsome a handsome man or boy looks nice – used especially about a man who has a nice face. Handsome is also sometimes used, especially in literature, to describe a woman who is good-looking and has a strong face: He was tall, dark, and handsome. | She was a big, handsome woman.
gorgeous/stunning spoken extremely attractive. Gorgeous is used especially by women: She thinks Brad Pitt is gorgeous. | You look absolutely stunning in that dress!
cute spoken nice to look at – used about animals, babies, children, and young adults: a cute little puppy | She thinks you’re cute!
lovely especially British English spoken used when saying that someone looks very nice: You look lovely tonight.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

cute

 

cute [cute cuter cutest]   [kjuːt]    [kjuːt]  adjective (cuter, cutest)

 

 

1. pretty and attractive

• a cute little baby

• (BrE) an unbearably cute picture of two kittens (= it seems sentimental )

2. (informal, especially NAmE) sexually attractive

• Check out those cute guys over there!

3. (informal, especially NAmE) clever, sometimes in an annoying way because a person is trying to get an advantage for himself or herself

• She had a really cute idea.

• Don't get cute with me!

Derived Words: cutely  cuteness 

 

Word Origin:

early 18th cent. (in the sense ‘clever, shrewd’): shortening of acute.

 

Example Bank:

• How sweet/cute!

• She had a cute little nose.

• What a sweet/cute (little) baby, picture, dress, etc!

• You were such a cute baby.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

cute / kjuːt / adjective (ATTRACTIVE)

(especially of something or someone small or young) pleasant and attractive:

He's got a really cute baby brother.

 

cutely / ˈkjuːt.li / adverb

 

cuteness / ˈkjuːt.nəs / noun [ U ]
 

cute / kjuːt / adjective US (CLEVER)

wishing to seem clever, sometimes in a rude or unpleasant way:

Don't be cute with me, Vicki.

 

cutely / ˈkjuːt.li / adverb

 

cuteness / ˈkjuːt.nəs / noun [ U ]

© Cambridge University Press 2013

 

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

cute

/kju:t/
(cuter, cutest)

1.
Something or someone that is cute is very pretty or attractive, or is intended to appear pretty or attractive. (INFORMAL)
Oh, look at that dog! He’s so cute.
...a cute little baby.
= sweet
ADJ

2.
If you describe someone as cute, you think they are sexually attractive. (mainly AM INFORMAL)
There was this girl, and I thought she was really cute.
ADJ

3.
If you describe someone as cute, you mean that they deal with things cleverly. (AM)
That’s a cute trick.
= clever
ADJ

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

cute

cute /ˈkjuːt/ adj cut·er; cut·est
1 : having a pleasing and usually youthful appearance
• What a cute [=adorable] baby!
• a cute [=pretty] pink dress
cute puppies
• She's as cute as a button! [=very cute]
2 chiefly US informal : attractive in a sexual way
• Who's that cute [=hot, sexy] guy/girl you were with?
3 chiefly US informal
a : clever in an appealing way
• a cute idea
b : clever in a way that annoys people
• Don't get cute [=smart, fresh] with me!
4 chiefly US informal : trying too hard to be pleasant or likable
• The movie's too cute [=cutesy] to be taken seriously.
- cute·ly adv
• She was dressed cutely in a little pink outfit.
- cute·ness noun [noncount]
• their annoying cuteness