midget

[ mij-it ]

/ ˈmɪdʒ ɪt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: midget / midgets on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

adjective

very small or of a class below the usual size.

being a miniature replica or model.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of midget

First recorded in 1850–55; midge + -et

usage note for midget

1. 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 WORDS FROM midget

midg·et·ism, noun

Words nearby midget

midfielder, mid-flight, Midgard, Midgard serpent, midge, midget, midget golf, midgie, Mid Glamorgan, midgut, midheaven

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

How to use midget in a sentence

So he would race on these ice flat tracks and then he raced what’s called midgets, which is really just a car with these big tires and big dirt tracks and oval dirt tracks.
Danica Patrick on Why She Never Loved Racing and Her Post-Track Career|Joshua Eferighe|January 30, 2021|Ozy
Sefolosha, who is 6 feet, 7 inches tall, called the cop a “midget.”
New York City Paid an NBA Star Millions After an NYPD Officer Broke His Leg. The Officer Paid Little Price.|by Mike Hayes for ProPublica|January 12, 2021|ProPublica
The mass-midget mind was concretized with the very idea that “free thought” means “free stuff.”
Van Dyke Parks on How Songwriters Are Getting Screwed in the Digital Age|Van Dyke Parks|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There, Belfort and his cronies are tossing a “midget” into a target in the center of the office.
The 21 Craziest Moments in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’: Cocaine-Fueled Orgies and More|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST

He had worked at the Chicago Rose Fair on the midget orchestra.
Meet Ruth Duccini, a Munchkin From ‘The Wizard of Oz’|Ramin Setoodeh|March 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Where else would you find a midget on stilts peering into the shadowy corners of a storage locker with night vision equipment?
The Sleaziest Reality Show Yet?|Christopher Dickey|December 2, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The midget recovered Alfred's knife from the dust and walked over to the trailer that he noted had a wooden coop of slats aboard.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
"Gillis Station," he called out to the midget who had remained very quiet.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
It was no doubt a singular sight to the residents to see a midget with six-footers, but it was just that way.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
Reappearing with the dead body, he bore it in his huge arms to the stoneboat: a midget carrying a giant.
When Valmond Came to Pontiac, Complete|Gilbert Parker
To the midget stuff I thought I would add a few paragraphs about circus people, the different kinds and what they do.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney

British Dictionary definitions for midget

midget

/ (ˈmɪdʒɪt) /

noun

a dwarf whose skeleton and features are of normal proportions

something small of its kind
(as modifier)a midget car

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

Word Origin for midget

C19: from midge + -et

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

midget

Origin of midget

usage note for midget

OTHER WORDS FROM midget

Words nearby midget

Words related to midget

How to use midget in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for midget

Word Origin for midget