adj
Meaning 1
Very small.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lilliputian, tiny
Antonyms: huge, gigantic
Standard Lemma guide
diminutive
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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dĭ-mĭn′yə-tĭv
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Australian, Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation, Scotland: /dɪˈmɪn.jə.tɪv/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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New-Zealand: /dəˈmən.jə.təv/
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nonstandard: /dɪˈmɪn.ju.ə.tɪv/
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rhymes with -ɪnjətɪv
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CMU ARPABET: D IH0 M IH1 N Y AH0 T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Serving to diminish.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
Examples
- 1711, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, Characteristicks of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times, 1714 edition republished by Gregg International Publishers, 1968, Volume 3, Miscellany 3, Chapter 2, p. 175, They cou’d, perhaps, even embrace POVERTY contentedly, rather than submit to any thing diminutive either of their inward Freedom or national Liberty.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Of or pertaining to, or creating a word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: augmentative
noun
Meaning 4
A word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
Examples
- Booklet, the diminutive of book, means ‘small book’.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: nomen deminutivum
Antonyms: augmentative
noun
Meaning 5
The smallest, thinnest version of a traditional heraldic ordinary ("geometric shape on a shield"), often used to represent multiple instances of a charge or to modify a main, central, and larger charge; not itself modifiable.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: government, heraldry, hobbies, lifestyle, monarchy, nobility, politics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
very small
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- diminutive in stature
- a lilliputian chest of drawers
- her petite figure
- tiny feet
- the flyspeck nation of Bahrain moved toward democracy
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bantam, lilliputian, midget, petite, tiny, flyspeck
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
a word that is formed with a suffix (such as -let or -kin) to indicate smallness
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: word
History
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English diminutif, derived from Old French diminutif, derived from Latin dīminutīv|us, ~a, ~um (adjective), from dīminūt|us, ~a, ~um (participle), perfect passive participle of dīmin|uō, ~uere, ~uī, ~ūtum (verb). First attested in 1398.
Across languages
Translations
168 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: ضَئِيل (ḍaʔīl) — very small
- Azerbaijani: dımbılı — very small
- Azerbaijani: dınqılı — very small
- Bulgarian: мъничък (mǎničǎk) — very small
- Bulgarian: миниатю́рен (miniatjúren) — very small
- Catalan: diminut — very small
- Czech: drobný — very small
- Danish: diminutiv — very small
- Dutch: minuscuul — very small
- Finnish: vähäinen — very small
- Finnish: mitätön — very small
- Finnish: pikkuruinen — very small
- Finnish: pikkiriikkinen — very small
- French: minuscule — very small
- German: winzig — very small
- German: diminutiv — very small
- Greek: μικροσκοπικός (mikroskopikós) — very small
- Hungarian: pici — very small
- Hungarian: parányi — very small
- Hungarian: pöttöm — very small
- Hungarian: apró — very small
- Hungarian: csepp — very small
- Irish: bídeach — very small
- Italian: minuscolo — very small
- Māori: nepi — very small
- Māori: nepinepi — very small
- Māori: ngorangora — very small
- Māori: ngihongiho — very small
- Norwegian Bokmål: diminutiv — very small
- Norwegian Nynorsk: diminutiv — very small
- Polish: drobny — very small
- Polish: miniaturowy — very small
- Portuguese: minúsculo — very small
- Portuguese: diminuto — very small
- Romanian: diminutiv — very small
- Russian: кро́хотный (króxotnyj) — very small
- Russian: миниатю́рный (miniatjúrnyj) — very small
- Scottish Gaelic: meanbh — very small
- Slovak: drobný — very small
- Spanish: diminuto — very small
- Swedish: pytteliten — very small
- Swedish: diminutiv — very small
- Turkish: küçücük — very small
- Turkish: minik — very small
- Vietnamese: nhỏ xíu — very small
- Arabic: تَصْغِيرِيّ (taṣḡīriyy) — serving to diminish
- Bulgarian: умали́телен (umalítelen) — serving to diminish
- Dutch: verkleinend — serving to diminish
- Finnish: pienentävä — serving to diminish
- German: verkleinernd — serving to diminish
- Greek: μειωτικός (meiotikós) — serving to diminish
- Hungarian: kicsinyítő — serving to diminish
- Hungarian: kisebbítő — serving to diminish
- Hungarian: csökkentő — serving to diminish
- Italian: diminutivo — serving to diminish
- Kabyle: imsemẓi — serving to diminish
- Polish: zmniejszający — serving to diminish
- Portuguese: diminutivo — serving to diminish
- Portuguese: diminuidor — serving to diminish
- Russian: уменьши́тельный (umenʹšítelʹnyj) — serving to diminish
- Spanish: diminutivo — serving to diminish
- Swedish: förminskande — serving to diminish
- Albanian: zvogëlues — grammar
- Arabic: تَصْغِيرِيّ (taṣḡīriyy) — grammar
- Armenian: նվազական (nvazakan) — grammar
- Bulgarian: умали́телен (umalítelen) — grammar
- Catalan: diminutiu — grammar
- Chinese Mandarin: 指小詞 /指小词 (zhǐxiǎocí) — grammar
- Chinese Mandarin: 小稱詞 /小称词 (xiǎochēngcí) — grammar
- Czech: deminutivní — grammar
- Danish: diminutiv — grammar
- Dutch: verkleinings- — grammar
- Dutch: diminutief — grammar
- Finnish: deminutiivinen — grammar
- Finnish: diminutiivinen — grammar
- French: diminutif — grammar
- German: diminutiv — grammar
- Greek: υποκοριστικός (ypokoristikós) — grammar
- Ancient Greek: ὑποκοριστικός (hupokoristikós) — grammar
- Hungarian: kicsinyítő — grammar
- Ido: diminutiva — grammar
- Japanese: 指小辞 (shishōji) — grammar
- Kabyle: imsemẓi — grammar
- Korean: 지소사 (jisosa) — grammar
- Norwegian Bokmål: diminutiv — grammar
- Norwegian Nynorsk: diminutiv — grammar
- Polish: zdrobniały — grammar
- Portuguese: diminutivo — grammar
- Russian: уменьши́тельный (umenʹšítelʹnyj) — grammar
- Russian: уменьши́тельно-ласка́тельный (umenʹšítelʹno-laskátelʹnyj) — grammar
- Russian: диминути́вный (diminutívnyj) — grammar
- Russian: деминути́вный (deminutívnyj) — grammar
- Slovak: deminutívny — grammar
- Spanish: diminutivo — grammar
- Swedish: diminutiv — grammar
- Ukrainian: зме́ншувальний (zménšuvalʹnyj) — grammar
- Vietnamese: giảm kích — grammar
- Welsh: bachigol — grammar
- Yiddish: דימינוטיוו (diminutiv) — grammar
- Albanian: zvogëlim — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Arabic: تَصْغِير (taṣḡīr) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Armenian: նվազական (nvazakan) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Breton: furm vihanaat — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Bulgarian: умали́телно и́ме (umalítelno íme) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Catalan: diminutiu — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Chinese Mandarin: 指小詞 /指小词 (zhǐxiǎocí) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Chinese Mandarin: 小稱詞 /小称词 (xiǎochēngcí) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Czech: zdrobnělina — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Czech: deminutivum — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Danish: diminutiv — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Dutch: verkleinwoord — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Dutch: diminutief — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Esperanto: diminutivo — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Estonian: deminutiiv — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Faroese: minkingarorð — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Faroese: smækkanarorð — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Finnish: deminutiivi — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- French: diminutif — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Galician: diminutivo — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- German: Diminutiv — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- German: Diminutivum — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- German: Verkleinerungsform — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- German: Verkleinerungswort — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- German: Diminutivbildung — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- German: Deminutiv — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- German: Deminutivum — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Greek: υποκοριστικό (ypokoristikó) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Ancient Greek: ὑποκοριστικόν (hupokoristikón) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Hebrew: צורת הקטנה (tsurát-haktaná) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Hungarian: kicsinyítő képzős alak — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Hungarian: kicsinyített alak — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Icelandic: smækkunarending — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Ido: diminutivo — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Irish: díspeagadh — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Italian: diminutivo — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Japanese: 指小辞 (shishōji) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Korean: 지소사 (jisosa) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Latin: deminutivum — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Latin: diminutivum — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Lithuanian: deminutỹvas — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Luxembourgish: Diminutiv — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Norwegian Bokmål: diminutiv — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Norwegian Nynorsk: diminutiv — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Persian: کوچکنما (kučak-namâ) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Persian: تصغیر (tasġir) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Polish: zdrobnienie — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Portuguese: diminutivo — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Romanian: diminutiv — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Russian: диминути́в (diminutív) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Russian: уменьши́тельное сло́во (umenʹšítelʹnoje slóvo) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Russian: уменьши́тельно-ласка́тельное сло́во (umenʹšítelʹno-laskátelʹnoje slóvo) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Russian: деминути́в (deminutív) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Scottish Gaelic: meanbhan — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Serbo-Croatian: deminutiv — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Serbo-Croatian: umanjenica — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Slovak: zdrobnenina — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Slovak: deminutívum — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Slovene: pomanjševalnica — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Slovene: manjšálnica — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Spanish: diminutivo — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Swedish: diminutiv — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Thai: คําเรียกชื่อเล่น — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Ukrainian: демінути́в (deminutýv) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Ukrainian: зме́ншувальна фо́рма (zménšuvalʹna fórma) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Volapük: smalükamavöd — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Volapük: smalamavöd — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Welsh: bachigyn — grammar: word form expressing smallness
- Yiddish: דימינוטיוו (diminutiv) — grammar: word form expressing smallness
Real reading context