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- Dictionarytwee/twiː/
adjective
- 1. excessively or affectedly quaint, pretty, or sentimental: British "although the film's a bit twee, it's watchable" Similar
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Twee is an adjective that means affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint. It originated in baby talk as an alteration of sweet and is often used to mock something cloying or corny.
Twee is an adjective that means artificially attractive or too perfect, often used in a disapproving way. Learn how to use it in sentences, how to pronounce it and how to translate it in different languages.
adjective. mainly UK informal disapproving us / twiː / uk / twiː / Add to word list. artificially attractive or too perfect: The village has escaped all modern developments, without becoming twee. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Attractive. adorable. adorably. adorbs. aesthetically. delicate. disarmingly. distinguished. dreamy. lovable
Something is twee if it's a little too cute or overly adorable. A children's book that is sweet and sentimental, illustrated with squirrels in little dresses, could be described as twee.
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- Low German
- Middle Dutch
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Etymology
From a childish pronunciation of sweet. The Oxford English Dictionary records the first use in 1905 in Punch.
Pronunciation
1. (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /twiː/ 2. Rhymes: -iː
Adjective
twee (comparative more twee or tweer, superlative most twee or tweest) 1. (British, derogatory) Overly quaint, dainty, cute or nice. 1.1. Synonyms: (US) cutesy, precious, saccharine, syrupy 1.2. Those Beatrix Potter animals are a little tweefor my taste. 1.1. 1999, Janet Foster, Docklands: Urban Change and Conflict in a Community in Transition, London, Philadelphia, Pa.: UCL Press, →ISBN, page 82: 1.1.1. Despite the fact that the designs were all a bit twee […]they stood out a mile in the mar...
Alternative forms
1. twé (obsolete)
Etymology
From Dutch twee, from Middle Dutch twee, twe, from Old Dutch twē, neuter form of twēne, from Proto-West Germanic *twai-, from Proto-Germanic *twai, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁.
Pronunciation
1. IPA(key): /tvɪə̯/, /tveə/
Pronunciation
1. IPA(key): /tʋeː/ 2. Hyphenation: twee 3. Rhymes: -eː
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch twêe, from Old Dutch twē, neuter form of twēne, from Proto-West Germanic *twai-, from Proto-Germanic *twai, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ with plural suffix *-i.
Anagrams
1. weet 2. wete
Alternative forms
1. twei (Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch)
Etymology
From Middle Low German twê, from Old Saxon twene (“two”).
Numeral
twee 1. two
Etymology
From Old Dutch twē, neuter form of twēne, from Proto-West Germanic *twai-.
Pronunciation
1. IPA(key): /tweː/
Numeral
twêe 1. two
Etymology
From Middle Low German twê, from Old Saxon twene (“two”).
Numeral
twee 1. two, twain
Numeral
twee 1. Alternative form of twye
References
1. Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 73
Twee is a word with multiple meanings and origins in different languages. It can be a number, a noun, an adjective, or a musical genre.
Twee is an adjective that means pretty or sentimental in a way that is excessive or silly. It is often used in British English with disapproval. See synonyms, pronunciation, examples and word origin of twee.
Definition of twee adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
