cute

cute  (kyt)

adj. cut·er, cut·est

1. Delightfully pretty or dainty.

2. Obviously contrived to charm; precious: "[He] mugs so ferociously he kills the humorit's an insufferably cute performance" David Ansen.

3. Shrewd; clever.

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[Short for acute.]

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cutely adv.

cuteness n.

Word History: Cute is a good example of how a shortened form of a word can take on a life of its own, developing a sense that dissociates it from the longer word from which it was derived. Cute was originally a shortened form of acute in the sense "keenly perceptive or discerning, shrewd." In this sense cute is first recorded in a dictionary published in 1731. Probably cute came to be used as a term of approbation for things demonstrating acuteness, and so it went on to develop its own sense of "pretty, fetching," first recorded with reference to "gals" in 1838.

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cute

Adjective

1. appealing or attractive

2. Informal clever or shrewd [from acute]

cuteness n

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	cute - attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness; "a cute kid with pigtails"; "a cute little apartment"; "cunning kittens"; "a cunning baby" cunning attractive - pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm; "a remarkably attractive young man"; "an attractive personality"; "attractive clothes"; "a book with attractive illustrations"
	2.	cute - obviously contrived to charm; "an insufferably precious performance"; "a child with intolerably cute mannerisms" precious artful - marked by skill in achieving a desired end especially with cunning or craft; "the artful dodger"; "an artful choice of metaphors"

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cute

adjective appealing, sweet, attractive, engaging, charming, delightful, lovable, winsome, winning, cutesy (informal), chiefly U.S.

Translations

cute [kjuːt] adj → lindo, mono (= shrewd); listo

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cute [kjuːt] adj → mignon(ne) → adorable (= clever); rusé(e) → astucieux/euse

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cute [kjuːt] adj → süß, niedlich;

(clever) → schlau

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cute [kjuːt] adj → grazioso/a (= clever); astuto/a