pinhead

American  

[pin-hed] / ˈpɪnˌhɛd /

noun

1. the head heads of a pin.

2. something very small or insignificant.

3. Slang. a stupid person; nitwit.

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pinhead British  

/ ˈpɪnˌhɛd /

noun

1. the head of a pin

2. something very small

3. informal a stupid or contemptible person

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Etymology

Origin of pinhead

First recorded in 1655–65; pin + head

Example Sentences

With a brain the size of a pinhead, insects perform fantastic navigational feats.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2024

I’m a mere critic, not a network pinhead, as David Letterman referred to executives who made these kinds of decisions, but that doesn’t mean I can’t dream up cockamamie ideas.

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2023

To investigate, researchers coated 14 species of coral—10 in the lab and four in the wild—with tiny fluorescent beads, which are each smaller than a pinhead and glow under light-emitting diode light.

From Science Magazine • May 12, 2022

During the tours, experts try to count pinhead cherries in the branches to come up with more detailed projections.

From Reuters • Dec. 13, 2021

Every single day he looked like he had just walked out of Sunday school: Every thin yellow hair on his pinhead was perfectly cut and licked to a gloss.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles