Lilliputian

[ lil-i-pyoo-shuhn ]

adjective

1. extremely small; tiny; diminutive.
2. petty; trivial:

   Our worries are Lilliputian when compared with those of people whose nations are at war.

noun

1. an inhabitant of Lilliput.
2. a very small person.
3. a person who is narrow or petty in outlook.

Lilliputian

/ ˌlɪlɪˈpjuːʃɪən /

noun

1. a tiny person or being

adjective

1. tiny; very small
2. petty or trivial

Word History and Origins

Origin of Lilliputian¹

First recorded in 1726; Lilliput + -ian

Word History and Origins

Origin of Lilliputian¹

C18: from Lilliput, an imaginary country of tiny inhabitants in Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726)

Example Sentences

Has anyone noticed how diminished, how very Lilliputian, America has become?

From The Daily Beast

How could he pick the Lilliputian city whose favorite place of worship is the Rocky statue at the foot of an art museum?

From The Daily Beast

It was all cherry satin and white lace, the furniture lilliputian, to match the proportions of the room and the lady.

From Project Gutenberg

You will read Boccaccio, whose tales are intaglios carved with exquisitely licentious and Lilliputian scenes.

From Project Gutenberg

Little Katy laughed outright, as the idea of this Lilliputian combatant presented itself.

From Project Gutenberg

Her humble origin certainly did not betray itself in her hands and feet, which were exquisite in shape and lilliputian in size.

From Project Gutenberg

The toilet of this lilliputian in feathers, performed on her chosen twig as it often was, interested me greatly.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• diminutive
• tiny