cute
Definitions
Attractive in a pretty, sweet, or endearing way.
可爱的；讨人喜欢的。
(informal) Clever or sharp in a way that can seem too pleased with itself.
（非正式）（耍）小聪明的；自作聪明的。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedcute is a clipped form of acute (a-cute → cute), which comes from Latin acuere 'to sharpen.' When the a- was dropped in the 1700s, cute kept the meaning 'sharp-witted, clever.' Over time 'mentally sharp' softened into 'cleverly charming' and finally into today's 'pretty and endearing' — so the root of sharpness still hides inside this gentle word.
Root acer still carries 4 more wordsWhy It Means This
Cute looks unrelated to sharp roots, but it is literally acute with the front syllable cut off — a clipping like squire from esquire. In 1700s English it meant 'keen, clever, shrewd': a cute trick was a smart one. American English then pushed it toward 'attractively clever,' and by the 1800s it had drifted to 'pretty, dainty, endearing.' The faint old sense survives in phrases like 'don't get cute with me,' where cute means 'too clever for your own good.'
Common Collocations
- 1.a cute baby可爱的宝宝
- 2.so cute好可爱
- 3.cute little可爱的小……
- 4.look cute看起来可爱
Example Sentences
- 1.
Their new puppy is unbelievably cute.
- 2.
She wore a cute little hat to the party.
- 3.
That's a cute idea, but will it actually work?
- 4.
Don't get cute with me — just answer the question.
Easily Confused
cute vs pretty vs adorable — cute is small-and-endearing (puppies, kids, gadgets); pretty is conventionally beautiful (a pretty face, a pretty view); adorable is the strongest, 'so cute you want to hug it.' You'd call a kitten cute or adorable, but a sunset pretty, not cute.