tiny

adjective

ti·​ny ˈtī-nē 

tinier; tiniest

: very small or diminutive : minute

tinily

ˈtī-nə-lē 

adverb

tininess

ˈtī-nē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of tiny

• minuscule
• microscopic
• miniature
• small

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

Turner, who died Wednesday, bought the struggling Braves in the 1970s, put the team on his then-tiny TV station and then sold the signal to cable systems nationwide. —R.j. Rico, Fortune, 6 May 2026

This tiny trans-Neptunian object, meanwhile, has a remarkably precarious atmosphere perhaps composed of methane, nitrogen or carbon monoxide that is 5 to 10 million times thinner than Earth's, Reuters reported. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 6 May 2026

Teams can decode tiny movements from previous starts, go over such footage in pregame meetings and use that knowledge to generate tips in that night’s game. —Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 6 May 2026

Today, that field consists of nearly 130 million pieces of space junk — dead satellites, old rocket bodies and tiny fragments generated by on-orbit collisions. —Julian Dossett, Space.com, 6 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English tine

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tiny

• tiny house

Rhymes for tiny

• briny
• piney
• shiny
• spiny
• consignee
• sunshiny

Kids Definition

tiny

adjective

ti·​ny ˈtī-nē 

tinier; tiniest

: very small : minute

tininess noun