miniature

American  

[min-ee-uh-cher, -choor, min-uh-cher] / ˈmɪn i ə tʃər, -ˌtʃʊər, ˈmɪn ə tʃər /

noun

1. a representation or image of something on a small or reduced scale.

2. a greatly reduced or abridged form or copy.

3. a very small painting, especially a portrait, on ivory, vellum, or the like.

4. the art of executing such a painting.

5. an illumination in an illuminated manuscript or book.

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adjective

1. being, on, or represented on a small scale; reduced.

   Synonyms:

   minuscule , tiny , diminutive , microscopic , minute

idioms

1. in miniature,  in a reduced size; on a small scale.

   The zoo exhibition offered a jungle in miniature.

miniature British  

/ ˈmɪnɪtʃə /

noun

1. a model, copy, or similar representation on a very small scale

2. anything that is very small of its kind

3. a very small painting, esp a portrait, showing fine detail on ivory or vellum

4. a very small bottle of whisky or other spirits, which can hold 50 millilitres

5. an illuminated letter or other decoration in a manuscript

6. on a small scale

   games are real life in miniature

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adjective

1. greatly reduced in size

2. on a small scale; minute

Other Word Forms

• superminiature adjective

Etymology

Origin of miniature

1580–90; < Italian miniatura miniature painting < Medieval Latin miniātūra, equivalent to miniāt ( us ) ( miniate ) + -ūra -ure; sense development perhaps influenced by Latin base min- ( mini-, minor )

Example Sentences

“Denny devised a miniature radio plane, remote-controlled, which became the basis for drones in World War II,” and was used to train fighter pilots, Wanamaker says.

From Los Angeles Times

From my all-girls school on the Upper East Side, I’d head a few miles north to 115th Street and sit at a miniature table with a young girl.

From The Wall Street Journal

Partly because he treated us kids like miniature adults; not prodigies, not pests, just small people doing something brave together.

From Salon

These microspheres function like miniature "pills" that are swallowed and include magnetic particles so they can be easily collected from stool.

From Science Daily

After he finished reading, he'd talked to the children for 15 minutes about something called "The National Monument to the Forefathers," a miniature statue of which he'd placed on the table behind him.

From Salon

Related Words

• mini
• pint-sized
• reduced
• scaled-down
• small
• small-scale
• tiny