puny

adjective

pu·​ny ˈpyü-nē 

punier; puniest

: slight or inferior in power, size, or importance : weak

punily

ˈpyü-nə-lē 

adverb

puniness

ˈpyü-nē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• bantam
• diminutive
• dinky
• dwarfish
• fine
• half-pint
• Lilliputian
• little
• pint-size
• pint-sized
• pocket
• pocket-size
• pocket-sized
• pygmy
• shrimpy
• slight
• small
• smallish
• subnormal
• toylike
• undersized
• undersize

Examples of puny in a Sentence

I wouldn't mess with him—he makes bodybuilders look puny in comparison.

We laughed at their puny attempt to trick us.

Recent Examples on the Web

Too much fruit saps a tree’s energy and leaves you with a lot of puny lemons instead of a few big, healthy ones. —Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Oct. 2024

In a new report in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society, scientists announced that 2024 PT5 is just 33 feet long—on the order of one thousand times punier than the Chicxulub impactor that eviscerated the dinosaurs. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Sep. 2024

Photo : Rolex/Getty Dave Bautista: Rolex Sky-Dweller Only Dave Bautista and his biceps could make a large Rolex look puny. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 14 Sep. 2024

Copernicus’s On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres failed to sell its puny initial print run of about 500 copies in 1543. —Daniel Immerwahr, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Anglo-French puisné younger, weakly, literally, born afterward, from puis afterward + né born

First Known Use

circa 1577, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

puny

adjective

pu·​ny ˈpyü-nē 

punier; puniest

: slight or lesser in power, size, or importance : weak

puniness noun

Etymology

from early French puisné "younger," literally, "born afterward," from puis "afterward" and né "born"