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chubby

chubby

61 1.0
Slightly fat in a cute, pleasant way
  • adjective
  • /ˈtʃʌbi/
  • Informal
translation icon : gordito
  • Everyone adored the chubby toddler as he waddled around the park.
  • chubby and short

He was a Humboldt Penguin, chubby, but he's amazing.

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Examples

  • And Danny, Danny has the menu propped up in his chubby fingers.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • She was like this short little chubby girl, super sweet.

  • I was kind of a chubby kid.

  • I was a chubby kid.

  • There's my rather chubby older sister who looks very scared.

  • And on top of that, my uncle looked like a chubby, jollier version of my own dad.

  • Together, Mama and she had bathed and diapered the chubby baby, kissed his toes, and made him laugh.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • I pumped my short, chubby legs, careful to avoid stepping on the cracks in the sidewalk.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • My mother dressed me in little ruffled panties, and I had chubby, dimpled knees.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The chubby puppy played happily in the yard.

Synonyms

plump
vschubby
44 2.7

A little fat and rounded in a healthy, attractive way

emphasizes charm or cuteness rather than health or fitness
pudgy
vschubby
19 4.0

Slightly fat and short in a way that looks cute

focuses on being endearing rather than implying unattractiveness
plumpish
vschubby
1 3.7

A little fat in a soft, round way

has more warmth or cuteness rather than plain softness
puggy
vschubby
  • Informal
9.7

Short and slightly chubby in a cute way

is used more affectionately and not only as a casual label
fattish
vschubby
  • Informal
5.3

A little heavy in the body, slightly overweight

adds positive, endearing quality rather than neutral weight description
porky
vschubby
  • Offensive
7.1

A little fat in a way people may find rude

expresses gentle, affectionate tone rather than being potentially insulting

Antonyms

314 1.0

Having little body fat and a slim shape

How Fat

obese
126 3.8
chubby
  • Informal
61 1.0
thin
314 1.0

Surface Forms

chubby positive
chubbier comparative
chubbiest superlative

Morphology

chubby = chub (transparent) = chub + y

Regular adjectival formation from the noun 'chub' with the productive suffix '-y', yielding the meaning 'having the qualities of a chub' (i.e., slightly fat).

Etymology

Chubby probably comes from the old word chub, a short, round fish, plus -y meaning 'full of'. A helpful image is a round little fish or a baby's round cheeks, which is why chubby means 'slightly fat' in a 'pleasant' or 'cute' way.