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View synonyms for diminutive

diminutive

[ dih-min-yuh-tiv ]

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.


noun

  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

/ dɪˌmɪnjʊˈtaɪvəl; 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
“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


noun

  1. grammar a diminutive word or affix
  2. a tiny person or thing
“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
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Derived Forms

  • diˈminutiveness, noun
  • diˈminutively, adverb
  • diminutival, adjective
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Other Words From

  • di·minu·tive·ly adverb
  • di·minu·tive·ness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of diminutive1

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

See little.
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Example Sentences

With the future of their species at stake, three diminutive astronauts — Brittany, Alph, and Captain Charlie — set off in a treehouse-sized spaceship, hoping to filch every last piece of fruit they can find on PNF-404’s surface.

Hydrogen’s diminutive size lets electrons get closer to the nodes of the lattice, augmenting their interactions with the vibrations.

In 2011, scientists found the sculptors — the diminutive males of what was then a new species of Torquigener pufferfish.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, died Friday at her home in Washington.

From Fortune

From the diminutive Pathfinder rover back in 1997 to the twin sisters Spirit and Opportunity, and the still-roaming Curiosity—the effective older sibling of Perseverance in design and scale.

Her style, much like her diminutive nickname, is best described as “Hamptons twee”—preppy and peppy.

Tyrion, now on the lam for patricide by crossbow, is destined for an unknown foreign port like a diminutive Edward Snowden.

Similar to the Space Shuttle in appearance, the diminutive X-37B is about a quarter the size of the old shuttles.

Edmund Morgan, 97 Diminutive, almost elfin in appearance, he bestrode his field like a colossus.

The diminutive history teacher turned soldier once said he learned his trade in the bush.

A light-colored mulatto boy, in dress coat and bearing a diminutive silver tray for the reception of cards, admitted them.

A very diminutive man, instructing his young son, told him if he neglected his learning he would never grow tall.

Its diminutive size and its unpopularity, however, prevent its general culture in this country.

Yet this diminutive building served the needs of the place from the days of Edward VI.

Its very diminutive stove stands near to its extremely small door, which is in close proximity to its unusually little window.

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diminutiondimissory