What does cheeked mean?
Cheeked is an English adjective that describes someone as having cheeks of a specified kind, and it lives almost entirely inside compounds. Speakers say rosy-cheeked for a healthy pink glow, chubby-cheeked for fullness, and apple-cheeked for round, rustic good health. Standing alone it is rare; its natural habitat is the hyphenated phrase that paints a quick physical portrait. Cheeked also serves as the past tense and past participle of the informal British verb 'cheek', which means to address someone with impudent boldness — a child who 'cheeked' the teacher has talked back. The noun 'cheek' itself goes back to Old English cēace, making it a thoroughly native Germanic word rather than a Latinate borrowing. In tone, the adjective is warm and descriptive, often affectionate, while the verbal sense carries a mildly disapproving, colloquial flavour. The word rewards writers seeking compact, vivid description: one hyphenated syllable can convey youth, health, or saucy defiance.
Having cheeks of a specified kind, especially as the second element of a compound such as rosy-cheeked or chubby-cheeked.
"A fresh-cheeked young guide led us up the hillside."
Almost always hyphenated in combination; rarely used predicatively on its own.
Simple past tense and past participle of 'cheek': spoke to someone boldly or impudently.
"She was kept behind after school because she had cheeked the teacher."
Informal and chiefly British; typically describes a junior person talking back to a senior.
English lets you be red-cheeked, chubby-cheeked, even apple-cheeked — but you can also 'cheek' someone, a verb meaning to sass them outright.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cheeked
The word derives from 'cheek', the Old English cēace (also spelled cēce), a native Germanic term for the side of the face below the eye, with cognates in other Germanic languages such as Dutch kaak. The adjectival form arose through ordinary compounding, attaching to descriptive adjectives to produce phrases like rosy-cheeked, which became established in English by the early modern period. The verb 'cheek' — hence 'cheeked' as its past tense — developed later by conversion from the noun, first recorded around the mid-19th century in the sense of speaking impudently.
Related word forms
How cheeked is actually used
As an adjective, 'cheeked' rarely stands alone; it almost always appears as the second element of a compound such as 'rosy-cheeked' or 'chubby-cheeked'. The verb sense ('he cheeked me') is informal and chiefly British, often used of children talking back to adults.
Easily confused with cheeked
'Checked' means examined for accuracy or having a pattern of squares, whereas 'cheeked' refers to having a particular kind of cheek or to speaking impudently.