Pretty vs. Cute

Prettyadjective

Pleasant in sight or other senses; attractive, especially of women or children.

Cuteadjective

Possessing physical features, behaviors, personality traits or other properties that are mainly attributed to infants and small or cuddly animals; e.g. fair, dainty, round, and soft physical features, disproportionately large eyes and head, playfulness, fragility, helplessness, curiosity or shyness, innocence, affectionate behavior.

‘Our reaction to cute attributes is understood as the way nature ensures mammals care for their young.’;

Prettyadjective

Of objects or things: nice-looking, appealing.

Cuteadjective

Generally, attractive or pleasing, especially in a youthful, dainty, quaint or fun-spirited way.

‘Let's go to the mall and look for cute girls.’;

Prettyadjective

Fine-looking; only superficially attractive; initially appealing but having little substance; see petty.

Cuteadjective

Affected or contrived to charm; mincingly clever; precious; cutesy.

‘The actor's performance was too cute for me. All that mugging to the audience killed the humor.’; ‘Don't get cute with me, boy!’;

Prettyadjective

Cunning; clever, skilful.

Cuteadjective

Mentally keen or discerning (See also acute)

‘Cute trick, but can you do it consistently?’;

Prettyadjective

(dated) Moderately large; considerable.

Cuteadjective

Clever; sharp; shrewd; ingenious; cunning.

Prettyadjective

(dated) Excellent, commendable, pleasing; fitting or proper (of actions, thoughts etc.).

Cuteadjective

pleasantly attractive, in a delicate way; - said of children, young ladies, pet animals and some objects, but seldom of adults; as, a cute child; a cute kitten; a cute little house; a cute statue.

Prettyadjective

(ironic) Awkward, unpleasant.

Cuteadjective

smart-alecky or impertinent; as, a cute remark.

Prettyadverb

Somewhat, fairly, quite; sometimes also (by meiosis) very.

Cuteadjective

affectedly clever.

Prettyadverb

(dialect) Prettily, in a pretty manner.

Cuteadjective

attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness;

‘a cute kid with pigtails’; ‘a cute little apartment’; ‘cunning kittens’; ‘a cunning baby’;

Prettynoun

A pretty person; a term of address to a pretty person.

Cuteadjective

obviously contrived to charm;

‘an insufferably precious performance’; ‘a child with intolerably cute mannerisms’;

Prettynoun

Something that is pretty.

‘"We'll stop at the knife store a look at the sharp pretties.''’;

Cuteadjective

attractive in a pretty or endearing way

‘she had a cute little nose’;

Prettyverb

To make pretty; to beautify

Cuteadjective

sexually attractive; good-looking

‘Ryan's cute but he's kinda young’; ‘a cute guy’;

Prettyadjective

Pleasing by delicacy or grace; attracting, but not striking or impressing; of a pleasing and attractive form a color; having slight or diminutive beauty; neat or elegant without elevation or grandeur; pleasingly, but not grandly, conceived or expressed; as, a pretty face; a pretty flower; a pretty poem.

‘This is the prettiest lowborn lass that everRan on the greensward.’;

Cuteadjective

clever or cunning, especially in a self-seeking or superficial way

‘the two brothers were cute enough to find a couple of rich women and marry them’; ‘she had a real cute idea’;

Prettyadjective

Moderately large; considerable; as, he had saved a pretty fortune.

Prettyadjective

Affectedly nice; foppish; - used in an ill sense.

‘The pretty gentleman is the most complaisant in the world.’;

Prettyadjective

Mean; despicable; contemptible; - used ironically; as, a pretty trick; a pretty fellow.

Prettyadjective

Stout; strong and brave; intrepid; valiant.

‘[He] observed they were pretty men, meaning not handsome.’;

Prettyadverb

In some degree; moderately; considerably; rather; almost; - less emphatic than very; as, I am pretty sure of the fact; pretty cold weather.

‘Pretty plainly professes himself a sincere Christian.’;

Prettyadjective

pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing;

‘pretty girl’; ‘pretty song’; ‘pretty room’;

Prettyadjective

(used ironically) unexpectedly bad;

‘a pretty mess’; ‘a pretty kettle of fish’;

Prettyadverb

used as an intensifier (`jolly' is used informally in Britain);

‘pretty big’; ‘pretty bad’; ‘jolly decent of him’;

Prettyadjective

(of a person, especially a woman or child) attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful

‘a pretty little girl with an engaging grin’;

Prettyadjective

(of a thing) pleasing to the eye or the ear

‘a pretty summer dress’;

Prettyadjective

used ironically to express annoyance or displeasure

‘he led me a pretty dance’;

Prettyadverb

to a moderately high degree; fairly

‘he looked pretty fit for his age’; ‘it was a pretty bad injury’;

Prettynoun

an attractive thing, especially a trinket

‘he buys her lots of pretties—bangles and rings’;

Prettynoun

used to refer in a condescending way to an attractive person

‘six pretties in sequined leotards’;

Prettyverb

make pretty or attractive

‘she'll be all prettied up and ready to go in an hour’;