1
as in elf
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
Snow White and the seven dwarfs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dwarfish
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of dwarf
Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2026
Selections available on the market include ‘Pride of Houston’, a medium to tall female shrub with a heavy fruit set, and ‘Schillings Dwarf’, a dwarf selection that grows only 3–4 feet tall and wide.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
Hanna Liden’s photographs reimagined the northern Romantic landscape tradition of Caspar David Friedrich and Vilhelm Hammershøi as populated by practitioners of the suburban occult, with figures in skull masks or Grim Reaper hoods dwarfed by moody vistas.
—Rachel Wetzler, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Satsuma semi-dwarf trees (Citrus unshiu) are ideal for container gardening due to their compact size and high fruit production.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dwarf
Noun
The ditch that’s up to 19 feet deep dwarfs the heavy machinery inside of it.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2026
Selections available on the market include ‘Pride of Houston’, a medium to tall female shrub with a heavy fruit set, and ‘Schillings Dwarf’, a dwarf selection that grows only 3–4 feet tall and wide.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the president wants to build a 250-foot arch, aligning with the 250th anniversary of the country, which would dwarf even the tallest triumphal arch in the world, the 220-foot-tall Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City.
—CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
Hanna Liden’s photographs reimagined the northern Romantic landscape tradition of Caspar David Friedrich and Vilhelm Hammershøi as populated by practitioners of the suburban occult, with figures in skull masks or Grim Reaper hoods dwarfed by moody vistas.
—Rachel Wetzler, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
For an even more dwarf species with similar cold tolerance, plant Gardenia jasminoides var.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Satsuma semi-dwarf trees (Citrus unshiu) are ideal for container gardening due to their compact size and high fruit production.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dwarf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dwarf
Noun
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The theft follows a similar incident in December, when members of the same group flooded into a Montreal grocery store dressed as Santa Clause and his elves, stealing food and leaving some of it gift-wrapped under a nearby Christmas tree.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
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One of Magnason’s first jobs was at the National Archives of Iceland, where he was surrounded by books about the old Norse gods, colonial histories, and even stories about elves.—
Marya E. Gates,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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While the Olympics doesn't specify which city Tina lives in, her name is a diminutive for Cortina, one of the cities co-hosting the Winter Olympics.—
Aliza Chasan,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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By contrast, Naroditsky, who went by Danya, the Russian diminutive of his first name, was known for his gentleness, his sensitivity.—
Jordan Himelfarb,
Time,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Seattle’s John Schneider and New England’s Eliot Wolf rose up from young nobodies to graduate from Green Bay Packers University, too.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
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Many of Newsom’s critics who breathlessly report on his evil plans (that the left-wing mainstream media supposedly cover up) are just nobodies who feign authority and are obviously fronting for right-wing organizations.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In February 2023, Stellantis idled the assembly plant near Rockford and laid off its last 1,200 workers after halting production of the Cherokee amid dwindling sales.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
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Because the government has halted refugee programs, with a few exceptions, IRIS has no new refugees – people who have been forced to flee their homes due to war, violence or persecution – to help settle.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Families will find the fairy train running through the trees, and there’s an activities station for children.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Hair stylist Jonathan Van Ness, counselor Karamo Brown, chef Antoni Porowski, interior designer Bobby Berk (through season 8; Jeremiah Brent takes over in season 9), and fashion expert Tan France are the fairy godparents dreams are made of.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Why not put pretend stethoscopes and pill bottles into the boxes and sell them as toy doctor’s kits?—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Pinto’s mom has a little area that would otherwise be a dining space defined by an area rug, with pull out storage bins, another toy kitchen and a little table and chairs.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Finally, Marilyn is not presented as a cipher to be solved or quarry to be caged.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
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The Blind Owl is extremely dense, brimming with metaphors and ciphers and symbols.—
Amir Ahmadi Arian,
The Dial,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nevertheless, the free spirit of Americans cannot be suppressed.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
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The royal government was also known as a dictatorship for banning political parties, suppressing revolts and political opposition, controlling the press and having its own secret police force called SAVAK.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dwarf. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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