cute
cute Lexical Profile
cute Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Attractive in a pretty, dainty, or endearing way, especially when small, young, or delicate.
"The children gathered around the basket to admire the cute little puppies."
Informally, sexually or romantically appealing and good-looking.
"She mentioned that the new barista at the corner coffee shop is really cute."
Clever, shrewd, or overly self-satisfied, often in a way that is mildly irritating, evasive, oraffected.
"Don't get cute with the auditors; just answer their questions directly and honestly."
• Rhymes for cute
Word Origin & Etymology
Originated in the early 18th century as an aphetic shortening of 'acute' (from Latin acutus, meaning 'sharp' or 'pointed'). It initially meant 'clever, shrewd, or sharp-witted' before shifting in 19th-century American English toward its modern sense of 'pretty, dainty, or endearing.'