cunning and cute share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. cunning means “attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness”. cute means “attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness”. cute is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈkʌnɪŋ/
1.adj.attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
“a cute kid with pigtails”
2.adj.marked by skill in deception
“cunning men often pass for wise”
3.adj.showing inventiveness and skill
“a clever gadget”
/ˈkjut/
1.adj.attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
“a cute kid with pigtails”
2.adj.obviously contrived to charm
“an insufferably precious performance”
| cunning | cute | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ | /ˈkjut/ |
| Said | KUHN-ing | kyoot |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Letters | 7 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, noun | adjective |
| Senses | 5 | 2 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | cute | cunning |
Full entry for cunning · Full entry for cute · More comparisons