rhizoverbBeta
DictionarycutesyAffected cuteness
adjective

cutesy

KYOOT-see/ˈkjuːtsi/

Deliberately or excessively cute

The oversized bows and hearts make the toy look cutesy.

An excessively decorated pink toy with giant bows and hearts, artificial cuteness.
Etymology
cuteEnglishpretty, attractive
+syEnglishcharacterized by

Cute shifted from 'clever, sharp' to 'pretty.' Cutesy builds on that attractiveness sense but adds disapproval: the charm seems artificial or excessive rather than simply appealing.

In context

Breakfast All Day movie reviews2:02
And this movie is just quirky and it's so cutesy, quirky, live, laugh, love that it's just really annoying after a while.
A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY Movie Review | Colin Farrell | Margot Robbie | Kogonada

More examples

  • She disliked the brand’s cutesy slogans.
  • The film used a deliberately cutesy animal character.
  • He replaced the cutesy wording with plain language.

Forms

cutesy · more cutesy · most cutesy

cute adjective — appealingly charming or pretty

Similar words

cute
Cute can be sincere approval; cutesy criticizes deliberate or excessive cuteness.
twee
Twee similarly criticizes affected sweetness; cutesy emphasizes conspicuous efforts to seem cute.