diminutive

[US]/dɪ'mɪnjʊtɪv/
[UK]/dɪ'mɪnjətɪv/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

adj. extremely small in size
adv. in a very small manner
n. a term of endearment or affection

Example Sentences

a diminutive figure dressed in black.

She has diminutive hands for an adult.

Despite its diminutive size, the car is quite comfortable.

She is a diminutive woman with a big personality.

The diminutive kitten curled up in a cozy corner.

He has a diminutive stature but a powerful presence.

The diminutive car was surprisingly spacious inside.

She wore a diminutive necklace that sparkled in the light.

The diminutive actor stole the show with his incredible performance.

The diminutive flower added a touch of color to the garden.

Despite her diminutive size, she was a fierce competitor.

The diminutive puppy wagged its tail excitedly.

He played a diminutive role in the company but had big ambitions.

Real-world Examples

He couldn't help admiring the trim appearance and bold manner of this diminutive seafaring character.

Source: Stuart Little

Not for tens of millions of years has life on Earth been so diminutive and tame.

Source: A Brief History of Everything

Being bigger helps them move from one habitat patch to another more easily than their diminutive relatives.

Source: Science 60 Seconds - Scientific American January 2019 Collection

It isn't even actually known that she was a female. Her sex is merely presumed from her diminutive size.

Source: A Brief History of Everything

The longer spelling – l-e-t-t-e – only forms a diminutive in a few English words, like novelette, a short novel.

Source: Advanced Daily Grammar

And so this disease took on a diminutive moniker that belied the scale of its wretchedness: smallpox.

Source: The Atlantic Monthly (Article Edition)

Anika The girl's name Anika is the diminutive form of Anna, which comes from the Hebrew name for " grace."

Source: The importance of English names.

Don't let the diminutive title fool you.

Source: Selected English short passages

The offline world offers other moments of diminutive drama.

Source: Economist Business

She had slipped effortlessly into addressing him by an affectionate diminutive.

Source: The Three-Body Problem I

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