as in small
of a size that is less than average
a puny, wrinkled apple
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of puny
Hurricane Andrew — the lethal 1992 storm that almost always gets invoked as a cautionary tale — struck during a relatively quiet year and though fierce, was puny by comparison.
—
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
But as avid swimmers, we were disappointed with the puny indoor pool, which couldn’t have been more than 10 meters long.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
On paper, Baltimore’s geographic and institutional advantages make Austin look puny.
—Julian Baron, Baltimore Sun, 28 May 2026
Tesla’s generating puny and declining returns on the plants, inventories and other assets now on its books.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for puny
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
But as avid swimmers, we were disappointed with the puny indoor pool, which couldn’t have been more than 10 meters long.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
On paper, Baltimore’s geographic and institutional advantages make Austin look puny.
—Julian Baron, Baltimore Sun, 28 May 2026
Tesla’s generating puny and declining returns on the plants, inventories and other assets now on its books.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for puny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puny
Adjective
-
After selling baklava at the Stock Show, the Unlus rented their first resraurant space in a small Eighth Avenue food hall.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 June 2026
-
The Virgo moon asks you to focus on the small tasks.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
Adjective
-
The diminutive restaurant is about as no-nonsense inside as out.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2026
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Even still, most of its diminutive size was just plastic packaging, encasing the far tinier, unfathomably dense network of billions of transistors embedded in silicon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
There, officers found the little girl with severe, life-threatening injuries.—
Kaicey Baylor,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
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Contrary to popular belief, the central bank has little influence over home loan rates.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
21 June 2026
Adjective
-
The tiny female hippo is already drawing comparisons to the beloved Moo Deng, the Thai baby pygmy hippo who became a global sensation in 2024.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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Hopefully, this will help determine whether they’re sparked by an eruption from a single neutron star, or when two of these tiny but massive bodies collide.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puny. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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