cuddle
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To lie together snugly, in an intimate physical embrace.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kuhduhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkʌdəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
usintransitivetransitive
To lie together snugly (with someone), in an intimate physical embrace; to snuggle.
To lie close or snug; to crouch; to nestle.
ukintransitivetransitive
To embrace (someone) affectionately; to hug (someone) closely.
transitive
To cradle (e.g. a baby) in one's arms so as to give comfort, warmth.
noun
us
An intimate physical embrace, typically while lying (or sitting): a snuggle, an instance of lying together snugly, as one might with a partner (more intimate than a hug, and typically of longer duration).
UK
A close and affectionate (and often prolonged) embrace
uk
An affectionate embrace, a hug, such as is given to family members and close friends (less intimate than a snuggle, and typically of shorter duration).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To lie together snugly (with someone), in an intimate physical embrace; to snuggle.
Used this way, cuddle is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- nuzzle , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use cuddle
- “We cuddled against each other to keep warm.”verb
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.