petite
Americanadjective
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relating to or being a woman who is short and has a small, trim figure; diminutive: The sash accentuates her petite waist.
She is a petite brunette.
The sash accentuates her petite waist.
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I usually buy frozen petite peas.
Traveling by air with your petite pooch or kitty has never been easier!
noun
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a category of clothing sized for women or girls of less than average height.
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a garment in such a size.
The petites are on that rack.
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a woman or girl who wears clothing of such a size.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of petite
First recorded in 1760–70; from French; feminine of petit
Explanation
If something is petite, it's tiny. Your mom might be so petite that she needs to sit on a telephone book when she drives the car. The adjective petite is used to describe a small woman. When you call someone petite, it's usually meant as a compliment — implying that she is dainty and adorable. Many clothing stores offer petite sizes for women who are short. The word petite is the feminine form of little in French, and sometime in the 1700s it became used frequently in English literature to describe those who are small in stature.
Vocabulary lists containing petite
It's the Little Things: Synonyms for "Small"
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The Help
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Warriors Don't Cry (Abridged)
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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.
In the run-up to her departure, the petite principal dancer has been performing as if she still had any number of years left in her onstage career.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
‘Humanize me a little,” says the petite woman in a cashmere sweater at the end of a forthright, occasionally spiky interview.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
The privacy policy it puts forth does have the benefit of transparency, but ultimately, it’s just a list of what Avast collects, with only a petite section that lists what it doesn’t collect.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
The conductor is petite with large, expressive eyes and a Cheshire cat’s smile.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
A petite Black or Black Native, maybe your age or a year younger, stops walking to lean against the wall, wraps her arms around her stomach.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
