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
This being “Primal,” they’re set upon by a group of diminutive flesh-eaters with jagged teeth, igniting a life-or-death skirmish that, miraculously, steals the viewer’s breath.
From Salon
A diminutive girl appears and sets a bundle of envelopes on the desk.
From Literature
The more diminutive the firm, the better its performance was over that stretch.
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
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.
