adorable

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   So sweet or charming that you feel great affection for it, especially because it is small, young or innocent.

   Grammar: Goes before a noun or after be: an adorable puppy; the baby is adorable.

   Patterns

   • look adorable
   • adorable in something

   The kittens curled up together looked absolutely adorable.

   Their daughter is adorable in her tiny raincoat.

   What an adorable little cottage!

2. 2adjectivecomparable

   Endearing because of a funny or lovable quality in someone's behavior or personality.

   Grammar: Often used about people's small habits: an adorable way of laughing.

   Patterns

   • adorable habit

   He has an adorable habit of humming while he cooks.

   Her shy smile was adorable.

   It was adorable how he tried to hide his nerves.

Word forms

Common combinations

absolutely adorable

The baby penguins were absolutely adorable.

adorable puppy

We adopted an adorable puppy from the shelter.

look adorable

You look adorable in that hat.

adorable couple

They make an adorable couple.

simply adorable

The costume was simply adorable.

Synonyms and how they differ

cute

Cute is the everyday, lighter word, while adorable is stronger and suggests real affection.

lovable

Lovable describes someone's nature and is less about appearance than adorable.

charming

Charming suits people and places with polish or appeal, whereas adorable suggests sweetness and smallness.

endearing

Endearing focuses on a quality that wins affection, often a flaw, while adorable is simply delightful.

Opposites

Word family

adorably adverb

in a delightfully charming way

adore verb

to love deeply

adoration noun

deep love and admiration

adorableness noun

the quality of being adorable

Commonly confused: adorable or admirable?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “adorable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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