diminutive
Americanadjective
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small; little; tiny.
a diminutive building for a model-train layout.
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Grammar. pertaining to or productive of a form denoting smallness, familiarity, affection, or triviality, as the suffix -let, in droplet from drop.
noun
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a small thing or person.
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Grammar. a diminutive element or formation.
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Heraldry. a charge, as an ordinary, smaller in length or breadth than the usual.
adjective
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very small; tiny
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grammar
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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
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denoting a word formed by the addition of a diminutive affix
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noun
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grammar a diminutive word or affix
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a tiny person or thing
Related Words
See little.
Other Word Forms
- diminutival adjective
- diminutively adverb
- diminutiveness noun
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; diminution, -ive
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.
The diminutive southpaw came out of retirement last year.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
Dictators, autocrats and other malign actors strategically use humor as a type of diminutive to minimize their real intent and to distract the public and media.
From Salon • Jan. 18, 2026
Called Giant, the film chronicles the boxer's journey from being a diminutive working-class boy to an international superstar - who only lost one fight.
From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026
Memorable figures include the town barber and perpetual bachelor, Jayber Crow, and the Falstaffian 300-pound farmer Ptolemy Proudfoot, who lives happily with his diminutive wife, Miss Minnie.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
A diminutive captain cutting an unstalwart figure in his flight suit, walked to the colonel’s desk and saluted.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
