Revised as of
5 Apr 2023
In reviewing a book, it came to me how incredibly rich the English language is with its minute shades of meaning. I was all set to use my standby, “cute”, to describe a children’s story when I reconsidered. It wasn’t a “cute” story. A boy’s family had been kidnapped and he’s being chased across the countryside by a pack of wild, ferociously intelligent dogs while he’s trying to rescue his family. It’s not cute.
So, it’s to the old reliable, the thesaurus with its wealth of alternatives: endearing, adorable, lovable, sweet, lovely, appealing, engaging, delightful, dear, darling, winning, winsome, attractive, pretty, cutesy, and twee.
All these words are synonyms for “cute” which, in this instance, means attractive in a pretty or endearing way. Yet, “endearing” and “adorable” inspire love and affection; “lovable” inspires love and affection; “sweet” is pleasing in general; “appealing” is attractive or interesting; “engaging” is charming and attractive; “delightful” causes delight; “dear” is regarded with deep affection or cherished; “darling” is beloved; “winning” is attractive and endearing; “winsome” is attractive or appealing in appearance or character; “attractive” is pleasing or appealing to the senses; “pretty” is attractive in a delicate way; “cutesy” is mawkishly sentimental; and, “twee” is excessively or affectedly quaint.
Imagine creating a sentence with the word “cute” and then substituting each of these synonyms in its place. How the meaning of that sentence would subtly change its meaning or imply the sex or age of the speaker:
| Oh, isn’t that cute! | You can just see the puppy/bunny/kitten the speaker sees. |
| Oh, isn’t that endearing! | Huh? Who talks like that? |
| Oh, isn’t that adorable! | You just know someone is looking at a cute little scene. It could be a boy cuddled up with his dog. Or a little girl dressed up in a sweet little dress. |
| Oh, isn’t that lovable! | Well, the closest I can imagine is someone eyeing a cute sweater. |
| Oh, isn’t that sweet! | Another “adorable”. |
| Oh, isn’t that appealing! | There’s a bit of consideration in this one. Perhaps someone is looking for a house to buy or a boat. |
| Oh, isn’t that engaging! | Well, I don’t know anyone who would use it that way, but it does sound rather like the speaker is considering what s/he sees. |
| Oh, isn’t that delightful! | Sounds like a response to someone’s explaining their vacation plans. |
| Oh, isn’t that dear! | I cannot imagine a man or woman saying this. I can, however, imagine a grandmotherly woman saying it. It would be more likely to refer to the price of something used this way. |
| Oh, isn’t that darling! | This sounds like a 1950s woman exclaiming over a cute outfit or a house. |
| Oh, isn’t that winning! | Sounds more like a question. |
| Oh, isn’t that winsome! | Uh, no. |
| Oh, isn’t that attractive! | This could swing two ways: a mild appreciation or total sarcasm. |
| Oh, isn’t that pretty! | A comment on a landscape, an outfit, a little girl’s dress, the decoration of a room. |
| Oh, isn’t that cutesy! | Well, back to the tourist trap for more knickknacks… |
| Oh, isn’t that twee! | A comment about something being too overdone in cute sentimentality. |
Each one of these words is a synonym for “cute” and yet they don’t all work as a substitute. The point I’m trying to make is that just because a word is a synonym and, technically, means the same as that word, it doesn’t. It’s English. The English language has absorbed so many words from other languages and there are so many shades of meaning to each of these words.
When choosing a word, examine those shades. Be sure the word you are choosing really conveys the intention you want to imply.
Linguistics is . . .
. . . the systematic study of the nature, structure, and variation of language (of which grammar is a part), which describes how people use language. For the writer, how words are used (or spelled!) determines a character’s social and educational level and the time period for the story.
As I discover more examples, also-known-ases, and additions, I’ll update this post. If you have a suggestion, I would appreciate you contacting me. If you found this post on “Cute Synonyms” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Linguistics posts by exploring its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, the Properly Punctuated, Word Confusions, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Pinterest Image Credits
Le Rat Cottage, Jersey, by Man vyi is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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In reviewing a book, it came to me how incredibly rich the English language is with its minute shades of meaning. I was all set to use my standby, “cute”, to describe a children’s story when I reconsidered. It wasn’t a “cute” story. A boy’s family had been kidnapped and he’s being chased across the countryside by a pack of wild, ferociously intelligent dogs while he’s trying to rescue his family. It’s not cute.
So, it’s to the old reliable, the thesaurus with its wealth of alternatives: endearing, adorable, lovable, sweet, lovely, appealing, engaging, delightful, dear, darling, winning, winsome, attractive, pretty, cutesy, and twee.
All these words are synonyms for “cute” which, in this instance, means attractive in a pretty or endearing way. Yet, “endearing” and “adorable” inspire love and affection; “lovable” inspires love and affection; “sweet” is pleasing in general; “appealing” is attractive or interesting; “engaging” is charming and attractive; “delightful” causes delight; “dear” is regarded with deep affection or cherished; “darling” is beloved; “winning” is attractive and endearing; “winsome” is attractive or appealing in appearance or character; “attractive” is pleasing or appealing to the senses; “pretty” is attractive in a delicate way; “cutesy” is mawkishly sentimental; and, “twee” is excessively or affectedly quaint.
Imagine creating a sentence with the word “cute” and then substituting each of these synonyms in its place. How the meaning of that sentence would subtly change its meaning or imply the sex or age of the speaker:
| Oh, isn’t that cute! | You can just see the puppy/bunny/kitten the speaker sees. |
| Oh, isn’t that endearing! | Huh? Who talks like that? |
| Oh, isn’t that adorable! | You just know someone is looking at a cute little scene. It could be a boy cuddled up with his dog. Or a little girl dressed up in a sweet little dress. |
| Oh, isn’t that lovable! | Well, the closest I can imagine is someone eyeing a cute sweater. |
| Oh, isn’t that sweet! | Another “adorable”. |
| Oh, isn’t that appealing! | There’s a bit of consideration in this one. Perhaps someone is looking for a house to buy or a boat. |
| Oh, isn’t that engaging! | Well, I don’t know anyone who would use it that way, but it does sound rather like the speaker is considering what s/he sees. |
| Oh, isn’t that delightful! | Sounds like a response to someone’s explaining their vacation plans. |
| Oh, isn’t that dear! | I cannot imagine a man or woman saying this. I can, however, imagine a grandmotherly woman saying it. It would be more likely to refer to the price of something used this way. |
| Oh, isn’t that darling! | This sounds like a 1950s woman exclaiming over a cute outfit or a house. |
| Oh, isn’t that winning! | Sounds more like a question. |
| Oh, isn’t that winsome! | Uh, no. |
| Oh, isn’t that attractive! | This could swing two ways: a mild appreciation or total sarcasm. |
| Oh, isn’t that pretty! | A comment on a landscape, an outfit, a little girl’s dress, the decoration of a room. |
| Oh, isn’t that cutesy! | Well, back to the tourist trap for more knickknacks… |
| Oh, isn’t that twee! | A comment about something being too overdone in cute sentimentality. |
Each one of these words is a synonym for “cute” and yet they don’t all work as a substitute. The point I’m trying to make is that just because a word is a synonym and, technically, means the same as that word, it doesn’t. It’s English. The English language has absorbed so many words from other languages and there are so many shades of meaning to each of these words.
When choosing a word, examine those shades. Be sure the word you are choosing really conveys the intention you want to imply.
Satisfy your curiosity about other Linguistics posts by exploring its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, the Properly Punctuated, Word Confusions, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Pinterest Image Credits
Le Rat Cottage, Jersey, by Man vyi is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.