midget

American  

[mij-it] / ˈmɪdʒ ɪt /

noun

1. Older Use: Disparaging and Offensive. an abnormally small person having normal physical proportions.

2. any animal or thing that is very small for its kind.

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adjective

1. very small or of a class below the usual size.

2. being a miniature replica or model.

midget British  

/ ˈmɪdʒɪt /

noun

1. a dwarf whose skeleton and features are of normal proportions

2. 1. something small of its kind

   2. ( as modifier )

      a midget car

3. an age level of 16 to 17 in amateur sport, esp ice hockey

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Sensitive Note

A dwarf is someone with a medical condition that results in stunted growth (58 inches or shorter in height), with a physical form that is disproportionate or not normally developed in some way. The word midget is not a synonym; it is disparaging and offensive and should be avoided. It was formerly used for someone of proportionate form but abnormally small physical stature. The terms dwarf and little person are now preferable in reference to these short-statured people.

Other Word Forms

• midgetism noun

Etymology

Origin of midget

First recorded in 1850–55; midge + -et

Explanation

Midget is an offensive term for someone who is much smaller than average. While it's acceptable today to describe an inanimate object with the adjective midget, it's never okay to use the word for a person. Long ago, people felt free to describe little people as midgets — for example, the actors who played the Munchkins in the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz" were routinely described as midgets. Today we'd avoid describing these actors by their physical characteristics, but if we did they'd be called "little people," "dwarfs," "LP," or even "people of short stature." Save midget for midget crabapples or midget submarines.

Example Sentences

Based on the new work, Shekhar is refocusing his glaucoma research on the analogs of midget cells, called alpha cells, in mice.

From Science Daily • Dec. 13, 2023

The two were once dirt midget teammates at Keith Kunz Motorsports, where Bell seemed to consistently beat Larson in equal equipment, and the relationship hasn’t always been warm.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2023

Its has about 70 submarines, including Romeo-class vessels of Soviet-era design, and midget submarines.

From Reuters • Sep. 8, 2023

In the 1980s, the Mickey Thompson off-road series had races inside the Coliseum, and in the 1940s, there was midget car racing that Furin said would attract crowds up to 50,000 people.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 14, 2021

In the picture Momma was sitting on a real live little midget horse.

From "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis