dwarfish

[ dwawr-fish ]

adjective

1. like a dwarf, especially in being abnormally small; diminutive.

   Synonyms: runty, stunted, tiny, pygmy

Other Words From

• dwarfish·ly adverb
• dwarfish·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dwarfish¹

First recorded in 1555–65; dwarf + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

“Now does he feel his title/ Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe/ upon a dwarfish thief.”

From Salon

Across eons, large galaxies gradually assembled via countless collisions of their dwarfish kin, scientists presume.

From Scientific American

Before them, at a long stone table, a dwarfish figure with a bristling yellow beard glared at the warriors.

From Literature

Letters were multiplied by symbols, crowded into parentheses, and set upon by dwarfish numbers drawn at odd angles.

From Literature

The show was canceled by Mr. Putin, who took umbrage at his representation by an ugly, dwarfish puppet.

From New York Times