diminutive

[ dih-min-yuh-tiv ]

/ dɪˈmɪn yə tɪv /

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See synonyms for: diminutive / diminutives / diminutiveness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

small; little; tiny: a diminutive building for a model-train layout.

Grammar. pertaining to or productive of a form denoting smallness, familiarity, affection, or triviality, as the suffix -let, in droplet from drop.

noun

a small thing or person.

Grammar. a diminutive element or formation.

Heraldry. a charge, as an ordinary, smaller in length or breadth than the usual.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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; see diminution,-ive

synonym study for diminutive

1. See little.

OTHER WORDS FROM diminutive

di·min·u·tive·ly, adverbdi·min·u·tive·ness, noun

Words nearby diminutive

diminished seventh chord, diminishing returns, diminishing returns, law of, diminuendo, diminution, diminutive, dimissory, Dimitrios I, Dimitrov, Dimitrovo, dimity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use diminutive in a sentence

With the future of their species at stake, three diminutive astronauts — Brittany, Alph, and Captain Charlie — set off in a treehouse-sized spaceship, hoping to filch every last piece of fruit they can find on PNF-404’s surface.
‘Pikmin 3 Deluxe’ loses some of its original charm|Michael Thomsen|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
Hydrogen’s diminutive size lets electrons get closer to the nodes of the lattice, augmenting their interactions with the vibrations.
Room-Temperature Superconductivity Achieved for the First Time|Charlie Wood|October 14, 2020|Quanta Magazine
In 2011, scientists found the sculptors — the diminutive males of what was then a new species of Torquigener pufferfish.
Pufferfish may be carving mysterious ‘crop circles’ near Australia|Jake Buehler|October 13, 2020|Science News
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, died Friday at her home in Washington.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at 87|Verne Kopytoff|September 18, 2020|Fortune

From the diminutive Pathfinder rover back in 1997 to the twin sisters Spirit and Opportunity, and the still-roaming Curiosity—the effective older sibling of Perseverance in design and scale.
Take Our Virtual Trip to Mars - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Caleb Scharf|September 2, 2020|Nautilus
Her style, much like her diminutive nickname, is best described as “Hamptons twee”—preppy and peppy.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Tyrion, now on the lam for patricide by crossbow, is destined for an unknown foreign port like a diminutive Edward Snowden.
Valar Morghulis: Game of Thrones’ Women Are Going to Rule the World|Scott Bixby|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Similar to the Space Shuttle in appearance, the diminutive X-37B is about a quarter the size of the old shuttles.
Will The Pentagon’s Secret Space Plane Ever Return to Earth?|Kyle Mizokami|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Edmund Morgan, 97 Diminutive, almost elfin in appearance, he bestrode his field like a colossus.
The Deaths You Missed This Year|Malcolm Jones, Jimmy So, Michael Moynihan, Caitlin Dickson|December 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The diminutive history teacher turned soldier once said he learned his trade in the bush.
General Giap and the Myth of American Invincibility|James A. Warren|October 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A light-colored mulatto boy, in dress coat and bearing a diminutive silver tray for the reception of cards, admitted them.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
A very diminutive man, instructing his young son, told him if he neglected his learning he would never grow tall.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Its diminutive size and its unpopularity, however, prevent its general culture in this country.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Yet this diminutive building served the needs of the place from the days of Edward VI.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
Its very diminutive stove stands near to its extremely small door, which is in close proximity to its unusually little window.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for diminutive

diminutive

/ (dɪˈmɪnjʊtɪv) /

adjective

very small; tiny

grammar

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
denoting a word formed by the addition of a diminutive affix

noun

grammar a diminutive word or affix

a tiny person or thing

Compare (for senses 2, 3): augmentative

Derived forms of diminutive

diminutival (dɪˌmɪnjʊˈtaɪvəl), adjectivediminutively, adverbdiminutiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

diminutive

Origin of diminutive

synonym study for diminutive

OTHER WORDS FROM diminutive

Words nearby diminutive

Words related to diminutive

How to use diminutive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for diminutive

Derived forms of diminutive