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 About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Doug Cowen, Discover Magazine, 27 Apr. 2024 Mary Walrath-Holdridge USA TODAY Kitten season sounds like the stuff of dreams − a season during which tiny little felines seem to be crawling out of every nook and crevice. USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2024 His projections are masterful, utilizing tiny details (rolling clouds, lapping waves) to transform what might be painted backdrops into amazingly realistic backgrounds. Christian Lewis, Variety, 26 Apr. 2024 The dog’s owner Jubel Chen works as an animal trainer for Guin’s Movie Menagerie, and told PEOPLE that she was handed the tiny pup during a shoot in downtown Los Angeles around Christmas 2017. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2024 The village of Canfranc may be tiny and remote, but its border location has given it an outsize strategic importance for centuries. Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2024 Open grasslands are shrinking where the tiny burrowing owl makes its home nesting in underground burrows. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2024 But behind the scenes, a tiny group of lawmakers began plotting a secretive effort that culminated on Tuesday, when the Senate passed a bill that forces TikTok to be sold by its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or risk getting banned. Cecilia Kang, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024 Notably, these salaries are a tiny fraction of what pro men basketball players earn. Jenny McCoy, SELF, 15 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 2 May. 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
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