diminutive
Americanadjective
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small; little; tiny.
a diminutive building for a model-train layout.
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Grammar. pertaining to or productive of a form denoting smallness, familiarity, affection, or triviality, as the suffix -let, in droplet from drop.
noun
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a small thing or person.
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Grammar. a diminutive element or formation.
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Heraldry. a charge, as an ordinary, smaller in length or breadth than the usual.
adjective
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very small; tiny
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grammar
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denoting an affix added to a word to convey the meaning small or unimportant or to express affection, as for example the suffix -ette in French
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denoting a word formed by the addition of a diminutive affix
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noun
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grammar a diminutive word or affix
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a tiny person or thing
Related Words
See little.
Other Word Forms
- diminutival adjective
- diminutively adverb
- diminutiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of diminutive
First recorded before 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin dīminūtīvus, equivalent to Latin dīminūt(us) “lessened” (for dēminūtus ) + -īvus adjective suffix; diminution, -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The diminutive southpaw came out of retirement last year.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
Dictators, autocrats and other malign actors strategically use humor as a type of diminutive to minimize their real intent and to distract the public and media.
From Salon • Jan. 18, 2026
And in the Santa Maria Valley, a diminutive 15-year-old girl struggles to load a large bucket with 20 pounds of tomatillos, earning $3 for each one she fills.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025
The pair have similar dimensions - 6ft and around 15st - and the option of playing both is impacted by the need to give the diminutive Dan Edwards a proper crack at fly-half.
From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025
Now the diminutive freshman waited nervously in his dorm room, dressed in his best suit and preparing to risk everything for the right to order a cup of coffee at a five-and-dime lunch counter.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
