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