Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Impertinently bold; impudent and saucy.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Impudent; brazen-faced; presumptuous; self-confident: as, he is a cheeky little fellow.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • Slang. a Brazen-faced; impudent; bold.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective informal Impudent; impertinent.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective offensively bold

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From cheek +‎ -y.

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Examples

  • He's been called -- i've heard the term cheeky used.

    CNN Transcript Mar 16, 2005 2005

  • "Nothing at all, captain, only that I have my eye on them; and I've been thinking that they must somehow or another have held communication outside; and I don't like it, for those people don't get what we call cheeky without cause."

    Begumbagh A Tale of the Indian Mutiny George Manville Fenn 1870

  • A reformed professional librarian, she also owns several hamsters and has been known to engage in cheeky cross-stitching.

    The Consumerist: March 2009 Archives 2009

  • A reformed professional librarian, she also owns several hamsters and has been known to engage in cheeky cross-stitching.

    Meet Your New Freelance Assistant Editor, Laura Northrup! - The Consumerist 2009

  • What struck some as shameful about the movie eight years ago, and might seem especially irresponsible now, if it weren't so cheeky, is that the threat of a nuclear holocaust is a McGuffin — a device to keep the characters running from place to place in what is really a bedroom farce.

    Ready for Action 2002

  • What struck some as shameful about the movie eight years ago, and might seem especially irresponsible now, if it weren't so cheeky, is that the threat of a nuclear holocaust is a McGuffin — a device to keep the characters running from place to place in what is really a bedroom farce.

    Ready for Action 2002

  • I think the song's by someone called cheeky git, but its pretty funny talking about Wayne

    WN.com - Articles related to Interview: Vanessa Perroncel 2010

  • I think the song's by someone called cheeky git, but its pretty funny talking about Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Frank Lampard.

    WN.com - Articles related to Interview: Vanessa Perroncel 2010

  • The expression is also used when someone is being what I would call 'cheeky' - that is, being presumptuous or expecting too much, for instance:

    Can a duck swim? Roger Sutton 2007

  • It would have been very impertinent -- what English people would call 'cheeky' -- of me to do such

    The Chink in the Armour Marie Belloc Lowndes 1907

Comments

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  • It may be offensively bold, but it's supposed to be in an endearing way. I absolutely looove this word. Tell me I'm cheeky and my heart would melt.

    July 12, 2008

  • I love this word. cheeky monkey is pretty cool too.

    December 8, 2009