1
as in elf
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
Snow White and the seven dwarfs
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2
as in diminutive
something (such as an animal) much smaller than others of its kind
Shetland ponies are the dwarfs of the horse world
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in nobody
a person of no importance or influence
it would be ridiculous to compare the two sculptors—one's a giant of the art world and the other's a dwarf
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to halt
to hold back the normal growth of
shrubs dwarfed by the lack of water
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dwarfish
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dwarf
Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 27 Apr. 2026
Big money, uneven returns Steyer’s spending dwarfs every other candidate.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
That would dwarf Cherry Creek School’s annual budget and personnel headcount.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 9 Apr. 2026
Amateur astronomers can squint into an eight-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and learn how to identify a dwarf galaxy from a planetary nebula.
—Mark Johanson, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dwarf
Noun
Coleus From dwarf to shrub sized plants, there's a good coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) for every garden.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 27 Apr. 2026
Big money, uneven returns Steyer’s spending dwarfs every other candidate.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
The 16-team league set a record with 87 selections, dwarfing the previous record the SEC set last year with 79.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
That would dwarf Cherry Creek School’s annual budget and personnel headcount.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
However, there are plenty of small or dwarf plants that have all the beauty of their taller plant cousins, but come in a compact package that’s perfectly sized for low profile homes with limited garden space.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 9 Apr. 2026
Amateur astronomers can squint into an eight-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and learn how to identify a dwarf galaxy from a planetary nebula.
—Mark Johanson, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dwarf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dwarf
Noun
-
The company behind that trio of elves, some of the most iconic mascots in pop culture, is the same corporation that put breakfast on the table in the first place.—
Heather Bushman,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The puckish figure draws heavily on Nordic fairy tales, including stories of elves.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The more common nickname, El Mencho, is said to be a diminutive of his first name, Nemesio.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Another gender-neutral name that had a burst of popularity in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Jamie was a go-to for girls or a diminutive of James for boys.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike some of his more strapping forebears (think Liam Neeson, Kevin Costner, or Aaron Eckhart), Odenkirk specializes in nobodies and normals: people one would not expect to be killing machines.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
After all, why listen to a podcast with two nobodies co-hosting when a listener can get an hour from a familiar celebrity.—
Frank Racioppi,
Forbes.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Within seconds, the vehicle was halted off the 60 Freeway exit at Country Village Road, and the suspect was left as powerless as a rodeo calf on its side.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
And Massie voted to halt the war on Iran.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The early universe, a mere whisper after the Big Bang, just a few hundred million years old — that's when the first stars and galaxies were starting to flicker on, like fairy lights across a cosmic dark.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
4 May 2026
-
And there’s a fairy circle of grand conifers, whose center is perfect for picnicking — or perhaps casting witchy spells.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Hello Kitty and Friends toy for every Wacky Pack, no matter the meal.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
-
The creators of Conan the Barbarian (1982), with whom Mattel had a contract to create a Conan toy line before the toy company backed out, sued Mattel in 1984.—
Sanat Pai RaikarAll,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
As zonky cross-generational ciphers go, the group’s debut, Strictly 4 the Scythe, is no Hypnotize Camp Posse, the amalgam of Three 6 Mafia and a grip of artists signed to their Hypnotize Minds label in the early 2000s.—
Dylan Green,
Pitchfork,
12 Mar. 2026
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The still-unidentified Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s, frequently sent threats, demands and ciphers to multiple local papers — namely the San Francisco Chronicle.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fungicides, for instance, are used to suppress disease-causing pathogens like blights and leaf spots, but might also impact beneficial microbes that live in flowers.—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Apr. 2026
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Researchers from the University of Bristol in England and the University at Buffalo in New York found that people actively trying to suppress food cravings were more likely to spend time watching indulgent food content online — yet ended up eating less of it afterward.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dwarf. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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