tiny

adjective

ti·​ny ˈtī-nē How to pronounce tiny (audio)
tinier; tiniest
Synonyms of tinynext
: very small or diminutive : minute
tinily
ˈtī-nə-lē How to pronounce tiny (audio)
adverb
tininess
ˈtī-nē-nəs How to pronounce tiny (audio)
noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
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 According to the Mayo Clinic, an upper endoscopy is a procedure used to visually examine your upper digestive system using a tiny camera on the end of a long, flexible tube. —Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024 More trending stories: → There’s no ‘better place’ to see April 8 total solar eclipse than in this tiny Texas town. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024 The faint star system — the tiniest Milky Way satellite ever found — could be under the influence of dark matter. —Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024 Shelby’s a tiny town, so everyone worked at that plant. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024 An expert guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones via tiny changes. —The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024 Near Corfu, tiny Paxos is covered in olive trees, with three charming bays and a satellite island, Antipaxos, known for its translucent waters. —Eleni N. Gage, Travel + Leisure, 1 Apr. 2024 From the right comes the snort of hippos, whose tiny eyes glint yellow in the beam of our flashlights. —Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2024 Its 10 million people represent a tiny fraction of the Continent’s population. —Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 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

Phrases Containing tiny

Dictionary Entries Near tiny

tinwork

tiny

tiny house

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Tiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiny. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

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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

Nglish: Translation of tiny for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of tiny for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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