as in diminutive
of a size that is less than average
a pygmy elephant
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also pigmy
1
as in dwarf
something (such as an animal) much smaller than others of its kind
hummingbirds may be the pygmies of the avian world, but what they lack in size they make up for in beauty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cipher
a person of no importance or influence
regrettably, most of the candidates for the party's nomination that year were political pygmies
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pygmy
Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 31 Dec. 2025
Around 61,000 years ago, the pygmy elephant population crashed, robbing the hobbits of their most critical food source just as the environment began to fail.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
Consider the rise of Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo from a Thai zoo that took the internet by storm in the idyllic distant past that was late summer 2024.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
Born on November 22, 1973, Hannah Shirley is now twice as old as most members of her species, having well outlived the typical 25–30 year lifespan of pygmy hippos in the wild.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pygmy
Noun
Trek through the Danum Valley rainforest, cruise the Kinabatangan River, and spot orangutans and pygmy elephants.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 31 Dec. 2025
Around 61,000 years ago, the pygmy elephant population crashed, robbing the hobbits of their most critical food source just as the environment began to fail.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
Consider the rise of Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo from a Thai zoo that took the internet by storm in the idyllic distant past that was late summer 2024.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
Born on November 22, 1973, Hannah Shirley is now twice as old as most members of her species, having well outlived the typical 25–30 year lifespan of pygmy hippos in the wild.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pygmy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pygmy
Adjective
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Poison dart frog species have long fascinated researchers and the public, partly because of their diminutive size and striking color patterns and also because of the stories surrounding the deadly toxins found on their bodies.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
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To see a Cisitalia 202 in the metal is to appreciate how diminutive and jewellike the car really is.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Hardy in Zones 8a-10b, a dwarf olive grows no more than 15 feet tall.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
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Look for dwarf pea varieties that don’t necessarily seek extra support and may perform better in containers.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
The Blind Owl is extremely dense, brimming with metaphors and ciphers and symbols.—
Amir Ahmadi Arian,
The Dial,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Caudle told The Associated Press in a recent interview that his vision is to deploy smaller, newer ships when possible instead of consistently turning to huge aircraft carriers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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The small edit stood out for its playful party spirit and the brand was instantly associated to a sense of fun and maximalism unusual in the Scandinavian fashion scene.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
13 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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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
Adjective
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The little sluiceways through the shoals were only a few inches deep, so the coontail moss was also that much closer to the surface.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
That polarization leaves little margin for prosecutorial missteps.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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By now, the insects are well established throughout most of the state’s coast and most of its largest urban centers.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
5 Feb. 2026
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Antiparasitic Oregano oil is also an antiparasitic insect repellent.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pygmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pygmy. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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