Cheeky Meaning
/ˈt͡ʃiːki/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjImpudent; impertinent; impertinently bold, often in a way that is regarded as endearing or amusing.
adjTending to expose the cheeks of the buttocks.
Sentence Examples
If you're cheeky once more, I won't read you a story tonight.
My brother got cheeky.
It sounds a bit cheeky, but it is correct.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ child stuck out his tongue at the teacher during class.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ monkey stole a banana from the tourist's bag in the park.
Word Origin & History
From cheek + -y. Compare typologically barefaced, bald-faced; Italian sfacciato (< Latin ex- + faciēs); French effronté, Italian sfrontato (< Latin ex- + frons), Polish czelny (< czoło).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"'Shut up,' said Harrison. 'You chaps always behave as if you were jawin' us when we come to jaw you.' / 'You're a lot too cheeky,' said Craye."
— 1899 February, Rudyard Kipling, “The Impressionists”, in Stalky & Co., London: Macmillan & Co., published 1899, →OCLC, page 112:
"The Young Turks, as might have been expected, wrote in their customary flippant, cheeky style."
— 1909, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 7, in The Swoop! or How Clarence Saved England:
"Barry said he introduced the cheeky bikini to the Coast three years ago: "I took a theatrical garment worn for as long as there have been strippers and showgirls — the G-string — and put it on the beach and gave it a name and we sold a heap.""
— 1984, Hugh Lunn, Queenslanders, page 159:
"Joyce Azria oversees a staff of twelve, manages a multimillion-dollar budget, and, in her first year as director of BCBG swimwear, designed cheeky bikinis and deep-V maillots that became top sellers at Bloomingdale's."
— 2002, Elle, volume 17:
"A death adder is cheeky, a tree snake quiet. Wasps are only cheeky if you hold them in your hand."
— 1994, Victoria Katherine Burbank, Fighting Women: Anger and Aggression in Aboriginal Australia, Univ of California Press, →ISBN, page 57:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ child stuck out his tongue at the teacher during class.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ monkey stole a banana from the tourist's bag in the park.