twee

[ twee ]

adjective

, Chiefly British.

1. affectedly dainty or quaint:

   twee writing about furry little creatures.

twee

/ twiː /

adjective

1. excessively sentimental, sweet, or pretty

Derived Forms

• ˈtweely, adverb
• ˈtweeness, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of twee¹

1900–05; apparently reduced from tweet (perhaps via pronunciation twiʔ ), mimicking child's pronunciation of sweet

Word History and Origins

Origin of twee¹

C19: from tweet , mincing or affected pronunciation of sweet

Example Sentences

"Everything about Tobias and Almut is so easy and sanitised, so positively twee and precious, that they are borderline unbearable to watch."

From BBC

July’s work has frequently been described as whimsical or twee, but those adjectives can’t convey the molten core of this book, which is at once hilarious and dead serious.

From Seattle Times

For one thing, the vaudevillian madness onstage — which juxtaposes twee songs with violent video, highbrow with Hollywood, the mundane with the alien — does not build on its political subject matter.

From New York Times

Like the twee strip mall showrooms she and Asher run, they do not fit in.

From Salon

I lit candles and made twee little place cards wrapped with twine, a sage leaf and baby’s breath.

From Salon

Related Words

• affected
• cutesy
• dainty
• quaint
• saccharine

More About Twee

What else does twee mean?

Twee describes someone or something as affectedly and cloyingly cute, sweet, and quaint. It’s also a subgenre of indie pop music.

Where does twee come from?

The word twee comes from early 20th–century British baby talk. Baby talk refers to both the language adults sometimes use with small children (think tummy for “stomach” or nub-nub for “pacifier”) as well as the way that kids attempt adult speech. Twee comes from the baby-talk mispronunciation of sweet. It’s seen as early as 1905.

Initially, twee was used affectionately for something or someone sweet and adorable. Over time, however, twee gained a negative connotation throughout the English language, characterizing something as overly or affectedly cute or quaint. In the 2000–10s, twee conjured up a certain brand of overdone, white hipsterism: polka dots, bird patterns, suspenders, handlebar mustaches, Zooey Deschanel, and Wes Anderson films.

How is twee used in real life?

In the 2010s, the word twee has become popularly associated with a certain aesthetic, especially in women’s clothing. It stereotypically includes wearing vintage, retro clothes with floral or animal patterns and Peter Pan collars, cutesy accessories, and a consciously nerdy, meek, or demure vibe.

In music, twee is commonly used to describe a certain subgenre of indie pop music that has its roots in the 1980s. Generally, twee is poppy and jangly, often slightly folk-inspired, and is heavy on the love songs. Standout examples include Belle and Sebastian and The Pastels.

Being twee usually implies something or someone is charming and whimsical to the point it’s cloying and grating.

My psychiatrist won't prescribe me anything even though she admits I'm insufferably twee.

— Smoke Teff (@steviekoteff) January 10, 2019

The TV comedy Portlandia notably mocked tweeness in hipster culture.

More examples of twee:

“Of course tweeness of any sort remains polarising – what is endearing for some is toe-curlingly cloying and sickly for others – but love it or loathe it, there is now no escaping it.”
—Lindsay Baker, BBC, October 2014

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.