tiny
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of tiny
First recorded in 1590–1600; late Middle English tine “very small” + -y 1; further origin uncertain
Explanation
Tiny means very small. Atoms are tiny. Hawaii is tiny, in comparison to the continental US. If you wear a size five shoe as an adult, you could be said to have tiny feet. Throughout the world there are stories about tiny mythical heroes, such as Tom Thumb, a tiny baby, who grew into a tiny child then a man so tiny he was no larger than an average man's thumb. One of the things that people love about doll houses are seeing all the artifacts we live with day to day replicated in miniature, or tiny, form.
Vocabulary lists containing tiny
It's the Little Things: Synonyms for "Small"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Eleven," Vocabulary from the short story
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Imperfect Me"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Professional creators with huge followings can no longer guarantee their audience will see the ads they post, while the work of creators with tiny followings can go viral if their content resonates enough, said Archer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Within moments of the series’ opening, she’s sliding a pie in the oven and futzing over tiny tarts and meringue kisses to photograph for her Hungry with Hollis followers.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Another grower near Mid-Illovo, a region of rolling hills south of Durban, said most cane cutters in his area came from Lesotho, the tiny kingdom encircled by South Africa.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
I get the shredded chicken one, which is cute and tiny but really filling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Leeuwenhoek was the first to see single-celled microorganisms, tiny plants and tiny animals, including bacteria.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
These ultrathin materials, made from just one or a few atomic layers, have been viewed as promising candidates for building even tinier electronic devices.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
“Institutional investors are a tiny share of the market, and a tinier share of the total U.S. housing market. There is not good enough evidence that institutional investors drive up home prices,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026
The bigger issue is that U.S. automakers have tried tinier cars before, and they didn’t take off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 13, 2025
They can walk, hover and the males can even sing love songs to woo mates - all this with a brain that’s tinier than a pinhead.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2024
The silver trumpet, the cockeyed teddy bear with his red and white scarf, the tiny sled packed with tinier toys.
From "Orbiting Jupiter" by Gary D. Schmidt
"Keep offering it and they will pick it up and try it. We try to make everyone try everything in our house, even the tiniest bit."
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Speculation is most obvious in the tiniest companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
But the tiniest silver lining of the path he’s taken means I have one more thing to help navigate accepting my voice: an example of what happens when someone retreats into fear and shame.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
In it, the conductor and composer examines how rituals run our lives, from the tiniest ones we barely notice to those that define our existence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
Too, she still felt the tiniest bit guilty about having a sixteenth birthday when her three pupils had yet to have one—and oughtn’t she have some time off on her special day as well?
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
