Etymologically
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cheeky

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈt͡ʃiːki/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English cheek + -y,[2][3][4][5] from cheek in its colloquial sense of insolence or impudence,[5][6][2] recorded from 1823.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Impudent or insolent, especially in speech: 1838, in Prest's Sam Weller's Budget of Recitations.[2] Green's Dictionary of Slang quotes cheeky urchins from 1850,[6] Etymonline gives 1859, with an 1850 nickname of a naughty boy,[5] and Merriam-Webster dates it to 1846.[7]

Semantic evolution

Cheek, meaning the side of the face and the jaw, came to mean rude or disrespectful behaviour in the early 19th century, much as face had done from the early 16th, and cheeky followed in the mid 19th century.[8][2] Green's Dictionary of Slang notes that it was used especially of young people who failed to respect their elders.[6] In South Africa from 1863 it was used offensively of black people seen as acting above their station.[2][9] In Australian Aboriginal English it has meant dangerous or aggressive since 1915.[2][10] In British use it came to mean mildly risqué (1938), and later, of food, drink or an activity, a small indulgence (1989).[2][11]

Timeline

  • 1838 – impudent, insolent.[2]
  • 1846 – Merriam-Webster's date for the first sense.[7]
  • 1863 – offensive, of a black person seen as presumptuous, in South Africa.[2]
  • 1915 – in Australian Aboriginal English, dangerous.[2]
  • 1938 – mildly risqué.[2]
  • 1989 – of food, drink or an activity, slightly indulgent.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Rude or disrespectful in speech or behaviour, often in an amusing way; impudent: a cheeky grin.[11][7][2]
  2. (chiefly British, informal) Of something enjoyable, spontaneous and slightly indulgent: a cheeky slice of cake.[11][2]
  3. (chiefly British) Mildly sexually provocative; risqué.[2]
  4. In Australian Aboriginal English, dangerous or aggressive.[2][10]
  5. Of a bulldog, having well-developed cheeks.[7]

Word family

  • cheekily
  • cheekiness

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  7. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ A Dictionary of South African English on Historical Principles, Dictionary Unit for South African English, https://dsae.co.za
  10. ^ a b Moore, Bruce, ed. (2004), The Australian Oxford Dictionary, 2nd ed., Melbourne: Oxford University Press
  11. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins