I've heard adorable sometimes used for kids. Is it ever used to describe an adult?
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Yes. If the adult is adorable. |
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Adorable can be used with adults, and domestic animals.
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The word adorable as applied to an adult has to mean more than "good looking" or even "sexually attractive". For example, Matt Bellassai describes the Australian diver Matthew Mitcham as "the most adorable Olympian ever". If you read that article, it's quite clear that Matt finds Matthew attractive, but there's more to it than that. Matthew is "adorable" because he's cute, friendly, playful, and approachable. The word, as applied to adults, suggests a certain whimsy as well as good looks. And the good looks of a Greek God or a model aren't really adorable either. It's the "cute" look you want, which is a bit harder to define. It's the sort of person who looks good with a good-natured grin, and who often has such a grin. (Perhaps I'm putting a little too much of my own taste into this bit.) |
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I especially hear adorable applied to the elderly. There is no reason it can't be applied to other adults as well. |
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