# What is Cute?



## vcnavega (Aug 14, 2012)

Cran was just telling me how subjective the meaning of the word “cute” is and he suggested me to start this discussion with you guys. So, _what do you mean when you call something or someone cute?




cute is like art; it's purely in the eye of the beholder - absolutely subjective and meaning different things to different people

Click to expand...

_


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## HooktonFonnix (Aug 14, 2012)

I don't think it could be said any better than what you've just quoted there.


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## themooresho (Aug 14, 2012)

Yeah, it is subjective, but I don't think that it is entirely in the eye of the beholder.  While some of us might disagree on what is cute, we can certainly agree on many things that are not cute, just like beauty.

I usually think of cute as having or imitating the virtues of youth like innocence or playfulness.  Beauty is possessing physical virtues like strength or symmetry.


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## Potty (Aug 14, 2012)




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## HooktonFonnix (Aug 14, 2012)

What Potty said.


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## squidtender (Aug 14, 2012)

Please forgive me for doing this. But I'm going to be honest, just for the forum. 
Tiamat
Tiamat is cute. 

I now feel dirty. . .


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## TheWonderingNovice (Aug 14, 2012)

That bunny is awfully cute.
I find that what is cute usually has child like qualities, big eyes, small bodies like that bunny. What I'm curious about is what do men find to be cute ?


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## Potty (Aug 14, 2012)

TheWonderingNovice said:


> what do men find to be cute ?



Opening a can of worms there I think.


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## Kyle R (Aug 14, 2012)

squidtender said:


> Please forgive me for doing this. But I'm going to be honest, just for the forum.
> Tiamat
> Tiamat is cute.
> 
> I now feel dirty. . .



[video=youtube;mPfNIGSdTjI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPfNIGSdTjI[/video]

:emmersed:


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## squidtender (Aug 14, 2012)

Oh, ha-ha KC. . . I almost forgot how funny you can be
And I'm WAY cooler than an Urkel. I'm at least a Screech


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## Olly Buckle (Aug 14, 2012)

Innocence has been cited, I think maybe vulnarability is more an element, baby animals, like that rabbit, are considered cute, animals lose that as they become adult, but animals do not lose their innocence. There is also a shape element, cute things are rounder rather than pointy, compare a fox cub to a fox.


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## squidtender (Aug 14, 2012)

TheWonderingNovice said:


> What I'm curious about is what do men find to be cute ?


Eye of the beholder, time. 
Short, chubby, expressive eyes, firecracker personality, smart, pretty smile and nice hair. 
I think the inside has as much to do with cute as the outside.

Baby animals are cute, but baby humans are not. Little girls are cuter than little boys. Hedgehogs are adorable. I think Wondering hit it right on the head. Size matters when it comes to cute


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## themooresho (Aug 14, 2012)

TheWonderingNovice said:


> What I'm curious about is what do men find to be cute ?



I can't say I speak for most men (my friends enjoy revoking my man card, like a redneck enjoys hunting deer), but when I think of a cute girl, I think she should be playful.  But if she acts immature (like using babytalk, or acting naive) than it kills the cuteness.  As I said in my earlier post, it should be the virtues of youth.  In contrast, the vices of youth should be avoided.  If you take "youth" to the extreme, then you're not cute; you're just childish.


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## Deleted member 49710 (Aug 14, 2012)

If you look at something or someone and think you'd really like to give it a nice protective hug, it's probably cute.

If you smile and look up at men with wide open eyes and raised eyebrows, they might say you're cute (they might also reasonably say that you're flirting if you're doing this on purpose). About their thoughts I dare not speculate.


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## Olly Buckle (Aug 15, 2012)

> About their thoughts I dare not speculate.


Sensible woman, don't go there.


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## vcnavega (Aug 15, 2012)

When Cran asked me to place this thread it got me thinking…
Sometimes you can say something very honest, sincere, sensitive, and people may say you are cute. They are mocking you. It is quite offensive. Also Mr. Olly told me “nice” is a poor word. I’d say the same about “cute”.


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## Deleted member 49710 (Aug 15, 2012)

vcnavega said:


> When Cran asked me to place this thread it got me thinking…
> Sometimes you can say something very honest, sincere, sensitive, and people may say you are cute. They are mocking you. It is quite offensive. Also Mr. Olly told me “nice” is a poor word. I’d say the same about “cute”.



Yes, when people say "you're cute" in this sense, they are connecting it to the youthful/vulnerable/baby kind of meaning to indicate that they think you're naive.


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## Terry D (Aug 15, 2012)

Bunnies are cute;






Puppies are cute;






Kittens are cute;






Potty is cute;


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## Juganhuy (Aug 15, 2012)

Well, here was what happened when I called a girl cute. She got mad.

Cute usually means that the person is not that desirable, but has some quality that makes them somewhat attractive (Most cases you cannot take them seriously). Like an ugly dog or baby. They have a feature that can make them look cute to certian people.

It is a cultural thing. In the US and UK cute is used like pretty, but places like China it is considered more of an insult (Know this from personal experience.).
People say Cute is in the eyes of the beholder, which is partly true, but so is everything else, so it is not necessarily the correct summary.

Thats for people and and ugly pets/animals.

As far as cute for baby animals, and toys, and such, the word is pretty much self explanitory as many have pointed out.

It's how it is used and what/who it is used on that really changes its effect.

DON'T TELL A CHINESE GIRL SHE IS CUTE >.<
Tell a puppy.


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## Cran (Aug 15, 2012)

How's the _cute_ investigation coming? 

When a woman watches a man walking away, 
and makes the comment,_ "mmm, cute buns"_, does she mean - 

- his rear end is small and fluffy?
- his rear end is young and naive?
- his rear end is ugly but interesting?
- his rear end is soft and round?
- his rear end has a playful personality?


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## shadowwalker (Aug 15, 2012)

I typically only use "cute" when I'm being sarcastic. Baby animals are sweet; most human babies are ugly until they grow up a bit. When someone says a girl is cute, I usually think "Valley Girl" and yes, I do gag, even without the spoon. I've never found men's buns to be cute; they're kinda like feet for me - they have their uses but they're not cute.


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## Deleted member 49710 (Aug 15, 2012)

shadowwalker said:


> I've never found men's buns to be cute; they're kinda like feet for me - they have their uses but they're not cute.



Dying laughing at this.

I guess it is odd that people use "cute" to mean "sexy." I think this is why I was going with the "if you want to give something a hug" definition. In some situations, something else might follow the hug, is all.


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## Sam (Aug 15, 2012)

The proper definition of 'cute' is actually someone who is clever or shrewd. That's where the saying "cute as a fox" came from. It isn't referencing specific aesthetic features but rather the cunningness of the animal. Nowadays people use it to describe someone who is adorable. Kids are often described as being cute. Animals likewise. I would feel that being called 'cute' by someone you desire would be a virtual seal of death in terms of your chances with them. It would mean being on a par with kids and animals, and that's somewhere you don't want to be.


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## squidtender (Aug 15, 2012)

Cute as a fox? That's a new one to me. Is that an old saying or a regional saying?


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## Sam (Aug 15, 2012)

Have you ever watched a fox that didn't know you were observing it? Everything about the animal is cunning. When not in danger, it slinks along without as much as a sound. Stealth is second nature to it. A male fox is about the size of an average dog, yet it can manoeuvre under a chicken coop with little to no effort. Despite the fact that they're a predator, foxes won't kill the chickens from the get-go. They will observe the movements of the human owners and strike at the most opportune time. 

That is why we say that someone is "as cute as a fox". They're cunning in their actions.


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## Nemesis (Aug 15, 2012)

What is it with people saying babies aren't cute?

People go out of their way to tell me how cute my two are (I won't say I think they are cute because every mommy thinks their babies are the most adorable thing on the planet)


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## Sam (Aug 15, 2012)

Babies are cute . . . if you like bald, wrinkled, incontinent people.


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## Kyle R (Aug 15, 2012)

Babies are fun to kick. You can punt 'em like a football and they go flying. It's hilarious.

 (I'm kidding, by the way. I like babies. They taste good with ketchup.)


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## Terry D (Aug 15, 2012)

Sam W said:


> Babies are cute . . . if you like bald, wrinkled, incontinent people.



I'm cute!


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## Deleted member 49710 (Aug 15, 2012)

Babies are cute once they get that chubby-cheek look. Until they start talking and running around and then it's all ruined again.


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## TheWonderingNovice (Aug 16, 2012)

lasm said:


> I guess it is odd that people use "cute" to mean "sexy."



It troubles me when people refer to things as "Cute" when they are speaking about men. They are many words to describe an attractive person. I agree that it is odd to say that to a grown person.
The only way "Cute" can be used for a man, is if they have boyish charm. Use the dictionary, there are plenty of words to use.


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## Cran (Aug 16, 2012)

TheWonderingNovice said:


> Use the dictionary, there are plenty of words to use.


One of those annoying and useless cliches that turn up too often. 
A dictionary is not going to help unless you know what words to look for.
Dictionaries are good for checking definitions and spelling; 
they don't usually offer many synonyms.
Try using a _thesaurus_ instead; that's why they were published.


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## Olly Buckle (Aug 16, 2012)

> Olly told me “nice” is a poor word. I’d say the same about “cute”.


 In some ways this is down to similar reasons, 'nice' and 'cute' have changed meaning in a similar direction, from precise and exact (as in a 'nice' argument), or cunning and clever, (the cute fox), to something like pleasant and pleasing (A 'nice' looking boy, or a 'cute' looking boy).

Of course any word is only'good' or 'poor' in context, the object of communication is to get an idea from one mind to another as completely and distinctly as possible. People are not always aiming at communication in this way when they talk, general agreement is much easier to obtain using vague and ill defined words.


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## TheWonderingNovice (Aug 16, 2012)

Thank You Cran for correcting my mistake.


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## Dave Watson (Aug 16, 2012)

lasm said:


> Babies are cute once they get that chubby-cheek look. Until they start talking and running around and then it's all ruined again.



As the father of a twenty month old boy, I can confirm this. My son is like a drooling tornado that leaves mass destruction and chocolate stains in his wake. He's still cute though.


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## Nemesis (Aug 16, 2012)

*

*"What do you mean I'm not cute?!"


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## Potty (Aug 16, 2012)

Babies are not cute!


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## Nemesis (Aug 16, 2012)

So what is that, an alien?


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## squidtender (Aug 16, 2012)

I'm sure someone thought this baby was cute. . .


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## Nemesis (Aug 16, 2012)

Where is that from?

Little Nadia is cute in both senses. She knows she is adorable and uses it against her mommy and daddy.


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## squidtender (Aug 16, 2012)

A site of ugly baby pictures

My cousin has a baby that makes you say "Oh, that's a shame", and yet she thinks it's adorable. Eye of the beholder, once again


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## Nemesis (Aug 16, 2012)

Yeah, not all babies are cute. Nadia wasn't when she was first born. She looked like a little gremlin


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## squidtender (Aug 16, 2012)

Noxicity said:


> Yeah, not all babies are cute. Nadia wasn't when she was first born. She looked like a little gremlin



LOL. Bless your heart for being honest


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## Nemesis (Aug 16, 2012)

I'd also like to point out that cuteness in a baby often doesn't matter. Our eyes may see an ugly little grimlin, but parenting hormones will flood your brain and suddenly it "Oh! Look at the cute little baby! How sweet and precious!" Because thats how we get tricked into caring for small screaming, hungry, stinky little creatures.


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## Juganhuy (Aug 16, 2012)

Babies are not cute. Blah!

A bit off subject, but I dislike the work "quaint".

I know the meaning, and its not bad, but it still seems like a "nice" insult. 

-You have a nice house!-Okay, your honest. I know my house is not that great.
-You have a quaint house!-Compliment or a classy way to say its nice? Since I know my house is not that great, I lean towards the latter. No need for labels.


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## Kevin (Aug 16, 2012)

KyleColorado said:


> Babies are fun to kick. You can punt 'em like a football and they go flying. It's hilarious.
> 
> (I'm kidding, by the way. I like babies. They taste good with ketchup.)


 I think I've heard the term "kicking cute".  Maybe I didn't... maybe I said it.


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## writeshine (Aug 25, 2012)

Sometimes, you can't help but call it cute;  when you mean the opposite.


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## Notquitexena (Aug 28, 2012)

Generally speaking drawings make things "cute" by making things look more like babies, i.e., with eyes larger in proportion to the head than an adult. 

Whether visually or in the written form, things are cute if you have the person/critter/whatever doing something which is associated with an adult (see also "precocious"). So it is cute when a young child uses sesquipedalian words, while it seems pretentious and stuffy in an adult character. 

There was an article in Scientific American (I think), back in the 80s or 90s, about "The Neotenization of Mickey Mouse": how the original Mickey Mouse seemed like an adult but, as the years went by, the artists at Disney made Mickey more and more child-like.


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