# cute

Pronunciation: say "KYOOT" /kjuːt/

## Adjective

1. Charming and endearing in looks or behavior, especially in a small, sweet, young or playful way that makes people feel fond.
   - Simple: Sweet and charming in how it looks or acts, like a baby animal or a funny little habit.
   - _They found a cute little bookstore tucked between two cafés._
   - _His habit of humming while he cooks is honestly pretty cute._
2. Attractive in looks, usually in a pleasant or boyish or girlish way, especially as someone one feels romantic or sexual interest in.
   - Simple: Good-looking in a way that draws romantic interest.
   - _Everyone at the party kept asking about the cute bartender._
   - _She'd been texting a cute guy she met at the gym._
3. Affectedly charming or contrived to charm; self-consciously clever; precious or cutesy.
   - Simple: Trying too hard to be charming or clever, in a way that annoys people.
   - _The movie's dialogue gets cute right when it should just be sincere._
   - _Their gender-reveal video was elaborate and a bit too cute for my taste._
4. Showing cleverness; surprisingly elegant or unconventional, though of limited deeper importance.
   - Simple: Clever and pleasing in a surprising way, but not very important.
   - _The proof relies on a cute counting argument that fits on a napkin._
   - _It's a cute result, but it doesn't generalize to higher dimensions._
5. Mentally keen or discerning; shrewd and quick-witted.
   - Simple: Smart and quick to notice or understand things.
   - _She was cute enough to notice that the revised offer had quietly dropped the free repairs._
   - _My grandmother was too cute to fall for the caller's story about winning a prize._
6. Acting in a would-be clever way that is impudent, rude or evasive, especially when answering someone back. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Trying to sound smart in a rude way, or to avoid a straight answer, especially when talking back.
   - _The judge warned the witness not to get cute with his answers._
   - _Pressed by reporters about the vote, the senator tried to be cute and started talking about the weather._

## Origin

"Cute" is an aphetic (shortened) form of "acute," originally meaning "keenly perceptive, shrewd" (recorded by 1730). By around 1834, US student slang shifted the sense to "pretty, fetching," and it drifted further to describe the pleasing attraction of features usually found in the young.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cute (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).