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

Notably, the same people embrace the punier roster of celebrities who occupy the MAGA column with open arms, never mind the cognitive dissonance involved in accepting Ted Nugent’s political acumen while dismissing his peers. —Brian Lowry, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024

Longer Term Economics Look Dubious CCS in 2020 stored a puny 40 Mt/year (Mega-ton or millions of tons per year). —Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

There’s no shame in dying as a puny counselor, hopelessly unmatched by a supernatural serial killer. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2024

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

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"