diminutive

American  

[dih-min-yuh-tiv] / dɪˈmɪn jə tɪv /

adjective

1. small; little; tiny.

   a diminutive building for a model-train layout.

2. Grammar. pertaining to or productive of a form denoting smallness, familiarity, affection, or triviality, as the suffix -let, in droplet from drop.

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noun

• diminutives
  plural

1. a small thing or person.

2. Grammar. a diminutive element or formation.

3. Heraldry. a charge, as an ordinary, smaller in length or breadth than the usual.

diminutive British  

/ dɪˈmɪnjʊtɪv /

adjective

1. very small; tiny

2. grammar

   1. denoting an affix added to a word to convey the meaning small or unimportant or to express affection, as for example the suffix -ette in French

   2. denoting a word formed by the addition of a diminutive affix

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noun

1. grammar a diminutive word or affix

2. a tiny person or thing

Synonym Usage

See little.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• diminutiveness
  noun
• diminutival
  adjective
• diminutively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• diminutives
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of diminutive

First recorded before 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin dīminūtīvus, equivalent to Latin dīminūt(us) “lessened” (for dēminūtus ) + -īvus adjective suffix; see diminution, -ive

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Explanation

Diminutive means small. A diminutive person is short and small. A diminutive word is a "cute" version of a word or name: for example, "duckling" is a diminutive of "duck" and Billy is a diminutive form of the name William. A diminutive name or word is formed from another by the addition of a suffix expressing smallness in size: a booklet is a small book, and a dinette is a small version of a dining set. The adjective diminutive descends from Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin dīminūtīvus, from Latin dēminuere, "to lessen."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diminutive diminutives

In the picture, Mahmoud sits on the floor flanked by the soldiers, looking diminutive, younger than his 22 years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

Hundreds of thousands of tourists a year flock to viewing areas and boardwalks to watch the diminutive sea birds waddle ashore and along the beach in the evenings on the eastern coast's Phillip Island.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Our critic noted that the show is “joyful proof that diminutive sculpture can be intimate, funny and even moving.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

Despite the movie’s theoretical scope, its execution is painfully and frustratingly diminutive.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026

Not only were these colts strange-looking, shaggy, and awkward, but aside from the slight difference in their mutually diminutive heights— Grog was a hair shorter—they were identical.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Miden is a fictional island where “there are no longer any diminutives or pet names,” Raimo writes.

From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2019

There is no mother’s care for the hatchlings, which will emerge as dark-toned diminutives in about 50 days, facing astronomical odds against survival.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2018

But there’s no question the current setup treats them as diminutives, even while celebrating their “stories.”

From Washington Post ● Aug. 6, 2016

But again, Harry is part of a more general trend of parents formally registering their offspring with names that used to be regarded as diminutives.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2013

And the world of diminutives closed in again on us.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

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Related Words

• little
• mini
• miniature
• minuscule
• minute
• petite
• small
• tiny

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