puny

[ pyoo-nee ]

/ ˈpyu ni /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

puntilla, puntillero, punto fijo, punty, punxsutawney, puny, puo, pup, pup tent, pupa, puparium

Origin of puny

First recorded in 1540–50; spelling variant of puisne

Related forms

pu·ni·ly, adverbpu·ni·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for puny

In the end, Shumlin led by a puny 2,434 votes, less than the 50 percent margin needed for victory under Vermont law.
What the Hell Happened in Vermont?!|Stuart Stevens|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Complete and utter accident of fate, the puny matter of his voter enrollment.
Republicans Are Racists? No, It’s Just All a Big Coincidence|Michael Tomasky|April 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But his standing in opinion polls is puny, and he has been targeted by Sarah Palin.
Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012|Jack W. Germond|June 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Mighty NATO rains down bombs and bullets on Gaddafi's puny forces, but can't score a knockout.
How Libya Saps America's Power|Leslie H. Gelb|April 17, 2011|DAILY BEAST

If you had been a puny, wiry, yellow baby, I wouldn't have stood godmother to you.
Adam Bede|George Eliot
Men who had heard the crash of Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor laughed at the puny crackle of two hundred muskets.
Tonio, Son of the Sierras|Charles King
All these words are merely our puny euphemisms for X, the unknown quantity.
The Scrap Book. Volume 1, No. 2|Various
I regarded it as a puny effort on his part, and was relieved to find they did not intend to visit her themselves.
Seek and Find|Oliver Optic
How can one confront such a disaster with one's puny efforts?
The Pursuit|Frank (Frank Mackenzie) Savile

British Dictionary definitions for puny

puny

/ (ˈpjuːnɪ) /

adjective -nier or -niest

having a small physique or weakly constitution

paltry; insignificant

Derived Forms

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

puny

adjective, pu·ni·er, pu·ni·est.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of puny

Related forms

Examples from the Web for puny

British Dictionary definitions for puny

puny

adjective -nier or -niest

Derived Forms

Word Origin for puny