puny

[ pyoo-nee ]
/ ˈpyu ni /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR puny ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, pu·ni·er, pu·ni·est.

of less than normal size and strength; weak.
unimportant; insignificant; petty or minor: a puny excuse.
Obsolete. puisne.

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Origin of puny

First recorded in 1540–50; spelling variant of puisne

OTHER WORDS FROM puny

pu·ni·ly, adverbpu·ni·ness, noun

Words nearby puny

puntilla, puntillero, Punto Fijo, punty, Punxsutawney, puny, PUO, pup, pupa, puparium, pupate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to puny

paltry, measly, inconsequential, tiny, frail, trivial, feeble, diminutive, fragile, inferior, infirm, little, minor, niggling, nothing, peanut, petty, picayune, piddling, runt

Example sentences from the Web for puny

British Dictionary definitions for puny

puny
/ (ˈpjuːnɪ) /

adjective -nier or -niest

having a small physique or weakly constitution
paltry; insignificant

Derived forms of puny

punily, adverbpuniness, noun

Word Origin for puny

C16: from Old French puisne puisne
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