miniature

1 of 2

noun

min·​i·​a·​ture ˈmi-nē-ə-ˌchu̇r  ˈmi-ni-ˌchu̇r 

ˈmin-yə-,

-chər,

-ˌtyu̇r,

-ˌtu̇r

1

a

: a copy on a much reduced scale

The designer displayed a miniature of the Washington, D.C. Mall.

b

: something small of its kind

The little boy looked like his father in miniature.

2

: a painting in an illuminated (see illuminate entry 1 sense 4) book or manuscript

3

: the art of painting miniatures

The artist excelled in miniature.

4

: a very small portrait or other painting (as on ivory or metal)

The lady wore a locket containing a miniature of her mother.

miniaturist

ˈmi-nē-ə-ˌchu̇r-ist

ˈmi-ni-ˌchu̇r- 

-chər-

-ˌtyu̇r-

-ˌtu̇r-

noun

miniaturistic

ˌmi-nē-ə-chə-ˈri-stik 

ˌmi-ni-

ˌmin-yə-

-ˌtyu̇-

-ˌtu̇-

adjective

miniature

2 of 2

adjective

: being or represented on a small scale

Phrases

in miniature

: in a greatly diminished size, form, or scale

Did you know?

How Miniature Came to Mean What It Does

The word miniature is about size, and specifically, small size. But its Latin ancestor concerned not size, but color.

In the era before the invention of the printing press, anything printed was printed by hand: someone pressed a pigmented point to a surface and left marks. People used black pigment mostly, but sometimes they used red, especially for titles, large initial letters, and decorative drawings. The Latin name for the red coloring—which was either cinnabar or red lead—was minium, and the corresponding verb meaning "to color with minium" was miniare.

In early Italian, the association of decorative drawings with miniare was so strong that the meaning of miniare was broadened until it simply meant "to decorate a manuscript." A noun form of the word, miniatura, was used to refer to the art of illuminating—that is, of adding illustrations to—a manuscript, regardless of the colors used. Since the illuminations in manuscripts (as the illustrations themselves are called) were small by comparison with most other paintings, miniatura came to refer not only to a manuscript illumination but to any small portrait or painting, and eventually to anything very small. English speakers had adopted the word as miniature by the 16th century.

Synonyms

Noun

• model

Adjective

• atomic
• bitsy
• bitty
• infinitesimal
• itty-bitty
• itsy-bitsy
• little bitty
• microminiature
• microscopic
• microscopical
• minuscule
• minute
• teensy
• teensy-weensy
• teeny
• teeny-weeny
• tiny
• wee
• weeny
• weensy

Choose the Right Synonym for miniature

small, little, diminutive, minute, tiny, miniature mean noticeably below average in size.

small and little are often interchangeable, but small applies more to relative size determined by capacity, value, number.

a relatively small backyard

little is more absolute in implication often carrying the idea of petiteness, pettiness, insignificance, or immaturity.

your pathetic little smile

diminutive implies abnormal smallness.

diminutive bonsai plants

minute implies extreme smallness.

a minute amount of caffeine in the soda

tiny is an informal equivalent to minute.

tiny cracks formed in the painting

miniature applies to an exactly proportioned reproduction on a very small scale.

a dollhouse with miniature furnishings

Examples of miniature in a Sentence

Noun

a diorama filled with miniatures of town buildings as they looked in the 19th century

Adjective

a collection of miniature books

The little boy looks like a miniature version of his father.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For months, Bode sourced vintage and antique ornaments, including bulbs, plastic candies, and wooden miniatures such as instruments, birds, and a sleigh. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024

Other treasures included posters, signed cast photos, sketches of the sets and components, and the miniature of the Galileo shuttle used for filming. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 11 Nov. 2024

Adjective

The monsters are tall and impressively athletic-looking, with devil ears and animatronic snouts that snap like miniature crocodile jaws. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Dec. 2024

His miniature self walks to the last room on the right, which is almost entirely empty. —Barry Levitt, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian miniatura art of illuminating a manuscript, from Medieval Latin, from Latin miniatus, past participle of miniare to color with minium, from minium red lead

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1714, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing miniature

• miniature golf
• miniature pinscher
• miniature schnauzer

Kids Definition

miniature

1 of 2 noun

min·​ia·​ture

ˈmin-ē-ə-ˌchu̇(ə)r,

ˈmin-i-ˌchu̇(ə)r,

ˈmin-yə-,

-chər

1

: something much smaller than the usual size

especially : a copy on a much reduced scale

2

: a very small portrait or painting (as on ivory)

3

: the art of painting miniatures

miniaturist

-ˌchu̇r-əst

-chər-

noun

miniature

2 of 2 adjective

: very small : represented on a small scale

collects miniature books

Etymology

Noun

from Italian miniatura "a fancy big letter or small picture used to decorate a page of a book copied by hand," derived from Latin miniare "to color with red pigment"; so called because the first fancy letters on books were done in red to stand out from the black ink of the rest of the page