Diminutive

Extremely small; a shortened or affectionate form of a name.

adjective

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Imagine This

Imagine a tiny toy house sitting on a desk next to a full-size house; the toy is diminutive, barely taller than a paperclip.

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Sounds Like

dih-MIN-yuh-tiv

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Looks Like

Resembles words meaning small (minuscule, miniature); contains mini, signaling smallness.

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Remember This

Diminutive comes from Latin diminutus meaning 'made smaller' and is often used to describe small objects or to form affectionate nickname forms; it's also used in grammar to denote a smaller or endearing variant of a word.

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Other Forms

diminutivenessnoun

diminutivelyadverb

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Connect With

diminish, minuscule, minute, tiny, petite

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Note

Be careful not to confuse the adjective sense with the noun 'diminutive' which can refer to a shortened form or nickname. Also note the distinction between 'minute' meaning tiny and 'minute' meaning a unit of time.

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Study Deeper

Examples

The diminutive statue sat on the shelf, barely taller than a matchbox.
In many languages, diminutive forms of names express affection, such as 'Johnny' for 'John'.

Synonyms

minusculetinypetiteminutecompact

Antonyms

enormousvastgiant

Etymology

From Latin diminutus 'made smaller', from diminere 'to lessen'; via French diminutif into Middle English.

Mnemonic

DI-MINI-tive: the word literally contains MINI, hinting at its meaning of being very small.