cutesy-wootsy
- adjective
- /ˈkjuːtsi ˈwuːtsi/
- Informal
- Some people find cutesy-wootsy decorations a bit too much.
Examples
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That dress is so cutesy-wootsy!
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The card was covered in cutesy-wootsy hearts and ribbons.
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He always uses cutesy-wootsy language when talking to his pets.
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She always uses cutesy-wootsy phrases when talking to children.
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The children's book was filled with cutesy-wootsy illustrations that made everyone smile.
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She wrote a cutesy-wootsy poem about her pet puppy that captured its playful nature.
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The cafe's decor was cutesy-wootsy, with pastel colors and heart-shaped cushions.
Synonyms
Trying to be charming in a way that feels false
Feels too sentimental and silly, like a movie or card
Too emotional in a way that feels silly or fake
To try to seem very sweet and childish in a fake way
Too sentimental or brightly decorated and not in good taste
Showing too much emotion in a way that feels silly
Too sweet or emotional in a way that makes you feel sick
Acting or speaking like a baby and seeming childish
Too emotional in a way that feels false or silly
Showing feelings that are not real and too sweet
Too emotional and sentimental in a way that seems silly
Too pretty and delicate in a way that seems silly or fake
Too cute in a silly or fake way
Acting like a child in a simple, not serious way
Too sweet and emotional so it feels false
Too emotional and sweet in a way that feels fake
Too sweet and sentimental in tone or style
Having too much sugar in taste or feeling too emotional
Showing strong, simple feelings in a way that seems fake
Showing too much love in a silly, naive way
Too sentimental and weak in feeling, often seeming false
Being too emotional in a cheap, false way
How Cute
Surface Forms
Morphology
cutesy-wootsy = cutesy + wootsy (transparent) = cutesy + wootsy
The meaning is transparently an intensified, playful form of 'cutesy'; learners who know 'cutesy' or 'cute' can readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Cutesy-wootsy comes from the simple word cute 'small and pretty' plus a playful second part wootsy that makes a singsong, childlike phrase like itsy-bitsy. So, cutesy-wootsy means overly cute or sentimental, in a childish or exaggerated way.