Added 9 October 2026
cute
/kjuːt/ adjective
In Latin: bellulum Wiktionary
adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about cute at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness.
a cute kid with pigtails
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Obviously contrived to charm.
an insufferably precious performance
Origin
Aphetic form of acute, originally meaning “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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)