pixie

1 of 2

noun

pix·​ie ˈpik-sē How to pronounce pixie (audio)
variants or less commonly pixy
plural pixies
1
: fairy
specifically : a cheerful mischievous sprite
2
: a usually petite vivacious woman or girl
3
or pixie cut : a haircut worn by women and children that is very short all over the head or especially short only at the sides and back of the head
Princess Diana's pixie cut became completely iconic, and almost as famous as the princess herself, inspiring many generations since to try the elegant look.Isobel Larkin
pixieish adjective

pixie

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly pixy
: playfully mischievous
pixiness noun

Did you know?

Is it pixelated or pixilated?

Pixelated is used to describe digital images in which individual pixels are discernable, as when you look closely at a large photo and can see the tiny dots that make up the image. Pixilated (coined from pixie, a pixie being a cheerful, mischievous sprite) is usually used to describe things considered whimsical, or people who seem dazed or lost in thought. While pixelated is a late 20th century coinage, pixilated has been in use since the mid-19th century.

Examples of pixie in a Sentence

Noun leave a dish of milk and some bread out for the pixies Adjective resorted to some pixie high jinks to liven up the office party
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The 80 for Brady star also debuted a black shaggy pixie cut! Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024 Rousseau, a petite 52-year-old woman with a gray pixie cut, represents a southern district of Paris, which includes most of the bobo 13th Arrondissement. Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Ryder switched from a shorter, boyish pixie to a slightly longer, edgy pixie. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2024 From viral pixie cuts to punk romantic makeup looks, take a look at the star’s most memorable beauty looks in celebration of her birthday today. Essence, 20 Feb. 2024 Supermodel Dunn, 33, also dared to bare in a plunging black velvet jumpsuit while debuting a cute new pixie cut. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024 The pixie dust is about to settle on the new Pixar Place Hotel after a two-year makeover of the Paradise Pier Hotel that will bring a fresh splash of Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Coco, Wall-E, the Incredibles and other Pixar characters to the 40-year-old hotel. Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 29 Jan. 2024 Disney World, the most magical place on Earth, can also inspire some of the most chaotic energy from guests that get a little too high off Tinker Bell's pixie dust. EW.com, 24 Oct. 2023 The boyish, blunt style will forever be marked as the classic pixie in our minds. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2024
Adjective
But in a new post added to Instagram, Mayim decided to make a more dramatic and permanent switch to her hairstyle by chopping it off into a semi-pixie cut. Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 30 Mar. 2023 The cute little 4-year-old boldly shouted when someone asked her where pixie dust comes from. San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2022 Atop the pile, Tinker Bell sat waving, like a pixie Jackie Onassis. Neima Jahromi, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 For all its sprinklings of pixie dust — a wiggly scorpion samba, a cyclone of flying pastries — the movie is often disconcertingly adult, and at the same time, largely unconcerned with welcoming in viewers not already steeped in the mythology. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2022 Revel, a kombucha brewery and tasting room, will release a pixie tangerine kombucha. Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2022 Maurice is a genially bearish man, with curly brown hair, who looks like a brainier John Laroquette; Katia, with short hair and glasses and a vivacious grin, suggests a pixie version of Terry Gross. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 Jan. 2022 Goofy costumes, silly songs, colorful sets and a sprinkling of pixie dust never hurt anyone, and the ABC reality series has gone overboard this year with not just one, but two, Disney Nights. Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 12 Oct. 2021 Again a roof will greatly cut down the natural air circulation and ventilation, assuming that the roof is made out of solid material and not pixie dust. Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pixie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1636, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pixie was circa 1636

Dictionary Entries Near pixie

Cite this Entry

“Pixie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pixie. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pixie

noun
pix·​ie
variants also pixy
ˈpik-sē
plural pixies
: a mischievous elf or fairy
pixieish
-sē-ish
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on pixie

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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