tiny

adjective

ti·​ny ˈtī-nē How to pronounce tiny (audio)
tinier; tiniest
: very small or diminutive : minute
tinily adverb
tininess noun
Choose the Right Synonym for tiny

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 tiny in a Sentence

The computer chips were tiny. He's from a tiny town that you've probably never heard of. There's just one tiny little problem. Aren't you even a tiny bit scared?
Recent Examples on the Web Notably, these salaries are a tiny fraction of what pro men basketball players earn. Jenny McCoy, SELF, 15 Apr. 2024 Collectively, these school systems represent a tiny fraction of the more than 1,000 in California, which is why a statewide initiative implanting their values in the state constitution could have such a sweeping effect. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024 Try her layering techniques of t-shirts and cardigans under fur coats or tiny tops and low-rise jeans as a combo under a coat. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 15 Apr. 2024 Her nose is red where the leech’s tiny teeth sank into her skin; her cheeks are dotted with bloody droplets. Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024 In the studies from Pittsburgh and Spain, researchers used a rigid device called a Utah array, a square grid of 100 tiny silicon needles, each with an electrode at the tip. Emily Mullin, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024 Naoe, Brickell: Consistently the only Forbes Five-Star restaurant in Miami, this tiny sushi den on Brickell Key has an ever-changing menu and wide array of sakes. Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024 Sitting in a large auditorium in the nation's capital, Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice traded the spotlight of school board meetings in a tiny Florida county to take center stage before upper crust conservative Washington elites. Rachel Barber, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024 Sky Johnson grew up in the tiny O’odham village of Comobabi, in the foothills a few miles from Tohono O’odham. Matt Krupnick, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tiny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English tine

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tiny was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near tiny

Cite this Entry

“Tiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiny. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

tiny

adjective
ti·​ny ˈtī-nē How to pronounce tiny (audio)
tinier; tiniest
: very small : minute
tininess noun

More from Merriam-Webster on tiny

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!