Why do men call women “cute”?

I (22f) just got out of a relationship so I’m back on the apps… and i notice after meeting with guys in person they often refer to me as cute instead of beautiful, hot, or sexy. i also understand men are more liberal with compliments online vs irl which is why i specified the setting.

I’m just curious if guys consciously choose what to call women and what criteria do you use to figure out what girl falls into which category.

context- i indiscriminately date all ages, and tax brackets and it seems to be the same all across and the majority of my first dates typically lead to second dates if that means anything

edit- i’m talking about in person compliments not online

update 3/8- thank you everyone for the informative replies. i really do appreciate the insight. also my date from 2 nights ago (that prompted me to make this post) started calling me beautiful this morning.. so i truly was just overthinking it 😅❤️