cute

«cute» in Mova's school dictionary: pretty and lovable in a way that makes you smile, like a… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

adjective (cute, cuter, cutest)

meaning for a pupil

1) Cute means pretty and lovable in a way that makes you smile, like a puppy or a baby. tree →

2) In American English, cute can mean attractive. tree →

3) Cute can also mean clever in a slightly cheeky or annoying way («don't get cute with me»). tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life it describes baby animals, small children, pictures and clothes. In stories it tells the reader something is small and sweet. Phrases: «so cute», «a cute puppy», «cute as a button».

examples

• Look at that cute little kitten! tree →
• The baby was wearing a cute hat with ears. tree →
• That's a cute drawing of your dog. tree →
• She thinks hedgehogs are the cutest animals. tree →
• The puppy looked cute, but it chewed my shoe. tree →
• Stop trying to be cute and answer the question. tree →
• Our class made a cute video about recycling. tree →
• No wonder Brer Rabbit is so 'cute: he is nothing less than an incarnation of Buddha. tree →

note

Comparatives: cuter, cutest. Safety: cute wild animals can still bite or scratch; do not touch them. The «u» says its name: «kyoot». Informal word; in a story for school, «adorable» or «sweet» also work. Not a number word.

In the corpora

• Videos of tickled pet lorises raising their arms are not cute: the loris is frightened and getting ready to bite.
• The right pet fits the home and the family's life, not just a cute video.
• Lily tells her friends she does not find the ponytail tugging cute — she finds it annoying.
• My dog's cuter.
• Her pals say, «Aw, he's pure cute» («pure» = really).

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «cute» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.