The Times Literary Supplement (London)
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Twee and Baby Talk
Most adults wouldn't be caught dead saying, "Oh, look at the twee little birdie!" but they probably wouldn't be averse to saying: "He went fishing with his dad," "She works as a nanny," or "Hey, buddy, how's it going?" Anyone who uses dad, nanny, or buddy owes a debt to "baby talk," a term used for both the childish speech adults adopt when addressing youngsters and for the speech of small children who are just learning to talk. Twee also originated in baby talk as an alteration of sweet. In the early 1900s, it was a term of affection, but nowadays British speakers and writers—and, increasingly, Americans as well—use twee for things that have passed beyond agreeable and into the realm of cloying.
Examples of twee in a Sentence
Briannah Rivera, Seventeen, 18 Jan. 2023
The twee co-working space, which closed up shop in August, was sued in October for $1.7 million in back rent on its 52 Mercer location.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 12 Dec. 2022
The concept of a Hobbit House may sound twee, but the hideaway—with a flourishing meadow on the roof—is more like something out of a Grand Designs episode than a gimmick.
—Lauren Burvill, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 May 2022
This offends me on many levels, not least the deployment of the twee word fancy.
—Jay McInerney, Town & Country, 8 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for twee
Cite this Entry
“Twee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twee. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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