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puny

[ pyoo-nee ]
/ ˈpyu ni /
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See synonyms for: puny / puniness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, puĀ·niĀ·er, puĀ·niĀ·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

puĀ·niĀ·ly, adverbpuĀ·niĀ·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use puny in a sentence

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 Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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