cookie-cutter

1 of 2

adjective

cook·​ie-cut·​ter ˈku̇-kē-ˌkə-tər How to pronounce cookie-cutter (audio)
: marked by lack of originality or distinction
cookie-cutter shopping malls

cookie cutter

2 of 2

noun

: a device used to cut rolled cookie dough into shapes before baking

Examples of cookie-cutter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Every surgeon has evolved their own technique, but one thing that remains is an understanding that there may not be a single cookie-cutter technique for the perfect facelift. Meirav Devash, Allure, 29 Feb. 2024 This conferred a particular freedom that Tahseen didn’t have: Once or twice a year, their mothers could drive them into the rolling hills west of Ramallah, through the cookie-cutter streets of Tel Aviv and then finally to the azure Mediterranean Sea. Rozina Ali, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Not a single one of the Holy City’s best hotels follows a cookie-cutter pattern; each actively creates a distinct narrative and reason for being. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2024 Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Consider this: instead of booking a cookie-cutter tour, why not opt for an authentic experience led by a passionate local? Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Monumental’s robots can also lay many different brick patterns, which means that large residential housing developments can be designed with houses that look more individual and less cookie-cutter than in the past, Khafaji said. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024 Instead of a cookie-cutter aesthetic replicated across the network, Amex continues to lean further into custom lounges that align with the cities they’re located in. Chris Dong, Travel + Leisure, 14 Feb. 2024 How race and gender impacts some candidates differently Not every candidate is judged under a cookie-cutter standard of what a president should look like. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2024 You were never meant to have a cookie-cutter life path, so get experimental. Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 20 Jan. 2024
Noun
Throw in a few cookie cutters too so they can get started on their first baking project. Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2024 Photos show the home is far from cookie cutter, outfitted with colorful teal and pink upholstered seating and gallery walls filled with artwork. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024 Child abuse and neglect isn't always cut and dry, cookie cutter scenarios. Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2024 Use a heart cookie cutter set to create festive designs. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Jan. 2024 Cut into football shapes using a 3-inch oval cookie cutter. Pam Lolley, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2023 Where to buy: Hexagon cookie cutters and fondant or clay cutters can be found online and at baking supply stores. Alana Allred, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023 Use different-size star cookie cutters to create the topping, then cut out smaller stars to edge the pie. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2024 There isn’t a cookie cutter answer for this because everyone’s values are different in addition to what each person can forgive and move past. Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 13 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cookie-cutter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1922, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cookie-cutter was in 1864

Dictionary Entries Near cookie-cutter

cookie

cookie-cutter

cookie cutter

Cite this Entry

“Cookie-cutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cookie-cutter. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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