cutie pie
AmericanUsage
What does cutie pie mean? Cutie pie is a term of endearment and affection that’s especially used to refer to or to address young children, much like sweetheart, sweetie, or darling.You can call a young child a cutie pie or you can address a young child as cutie pie, as in Hey, cutie pie! I missed you!The word cutie can be used by itself to mean the same thing. However, cutie can also be used to refer to a person whom one considers attractive, as in There are a couple of real cuties in my math class. It can also be used as a term of address. However, this sense of the word can be considered demeaning toward the person it’s referring to or addressing.Though it’s less common, the term cutie pie can also be used to refer to or address a person whom one considers attractive. Because the term is most typically used to refer to children, calling an adult a cutie pie is even more likely to be considered demeaning. Still, it’s possible that cutie pie can be directed toward someone other than a young child in a way that’s not considered demeaning, especially when it comes from a person they love as a term of affection.The hyphenated form cutie-pie can be used as an adjective. It’s often used to mean the same thing as cute, as in I love the little cutie-pie baby shoes—they’re so precious! A much less common variant of cutie pie is cutesy pie.Example: Your nephew is such a cutie pie—look at that sweet face!
Other Word Forms
- cutie-pie adjective
Etymology
Origin of cutie pie
First recorded in 1930–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As Ella Emhoff, one of Harris’ stepchildren, puts it, “How can you be ‘childless’ when you have cutie pie kids like cole and I.” But for Vance, real parents are biological parents.
From Slate • Aug. 2, 2024
Ella Emhoff added: “How can you be ‘childless’ when you have cutie pie kids like cole and I. @kemhoff say it louder for the people in the back...
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 2024
She was an excellent professional cutie pie, but while some of her films are amusing and a few are better than most, others can make you gag because of their treacle and wincing representations.
From New York Times • Apr. 22, 2020
When the castle's other residents tire of the bat's bragging and decide to scare him, however, the little bat breaks into tears, prompting his colleagues to label him a "cutie pie."
From Seattle Times • Oct. 15, 2011
Have we remarked enough on what a cutie pie he is, especially when bantering with Dr. Watson?
From Time • Jan. 8, 2010
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
