tiny

adjective

ˈtī-nē How to pronounce tiny (audio)
Definition of tinynext
as in minuscule
very small in size the forest ranger showed us how every square foot of forest is alive with tiny creatures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Try This Instead

For
Try This
a tiny bit
a teeniest bit
a wee bit
a little bit
tiny room
small room
little room
cozy room
narrow room
a tiny body
a petite body
a skinny body
a small-boned body
a dainty body
a small body
a tiny fraction
a small fraction
an insignificant fraction
a measly fraction
a negligible fraction
a pitiful fraction
tiny holes
pinprick-sized holes
micron-sized holes
bitty holes
small-diameter holes

Synonym Chooser

How is the word tiny distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of tiny are diminutive, little, miniature, minute, and small. While all these words mean "noticeably below average in size," tiny is an informal equivalent to minute.

tiny cracks formed in the painting

When could diminutive be used to replace tiny?

While in some cases nearly identical to tiny, diminutive implies abnormal smallness.

diminutive bonsai plants

When is little a more appropriate choice than tiny?

The meanings of little and tiny largely overlap; however, little is more absolute in implication often carrying the idea of petiteness, pettiness, insignificance, or immaturity.

your pathetic little smile

When might miniature be a better fit than tiny?

The words miniature and tiny can be used in similar contexts, but miniature applies to an exactly proportioned reproduction on a very small scale.

a dollhouse with miniature furnishings

When can minute be used instead of tiny?

Although the words minute and tiny have much in common, minute implies extreme smallness.

a minute amount of caffeine in the soda

How do small and little relate to one another, in the sense of tiny?

Both small and little are often interchangeable, but small applies more to relative size determined by capacity, value, number.

a relatively small backyard

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tiny Chia Seeds Omega 3s: Around 5050 milligrams of ALA Standard portion: 1 tbsp Chia seeds are tiny but pack a lot of nutrition. —Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 6 June 2025 The encampment’s location near a future tiny home site, the ideal ultimate destination for many of the homeless in question, is a small irony. —Dain Fitzgerald, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025 The only exception is Hendry County, a tiny district serving fewer than 8,000 kids in southwest Florida. —Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 June 2025 The former Dixon comptroller embezzled nearly $54 million from the tiny town to fund a lavish lifestyle. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for tiny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tiny
  1. minuscule
  2. miniature
  3. microscopic
  4. small
Adjective
  • The sample size is minuscule, but Washe had excellent play-driving metrics in his limited ice time.
    — Eric Stephens, New York Times, 2 June 2025
  • The ratings numbers will be … well, what’s an adjective worse than minuscule?
    — Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 29 May 2025
Definition of minuscule
Adjective
  • The timepiece comes in a special gift box featuring a miniature green Healey car.
    — Laia Farran Graves, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • The target of the second attack was a children’s playground with a miniature railway, Terekhov said.
    — Todd Symons, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
Definition of miniature
Adjective
  • The microscopic instrument, measuring 35 by 13 microns, and constructed from platinum, is less than the width of a human hair, said Loughborough University researchers.
    — Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
  • Even in the shade of a fruit tree, you could be surrounded by tiny skyscrapers — not made of steel or concrete, but of microscopic worms wriggling and writhing into the shape of long, vertical towers.
    — Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
Definition of microscopic
Adjective
  • Yes, Georgia and Paul split this season as the blowback from the trial — and Paul's support of Proposition 38, disastrous for small businesses — imperiled his mayoral career.
    — Randall Colburn, EW.com, 7 June 2025
  • Farmers watered their crops less, and saw smaller harvests as a result.
    — Annika Merrilees, Sacbee.com, 7 June 2025
Definition of small

Browse Nearby Words

tintypes
tiny
tip
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tiny. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on tiny

Nglish: Translation of tiny for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

8 Words for the Wordy and Talking Too Much

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

Rare and Amusing Insults, Volume 3

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

8 Words for the Wordy and Talking Too Much

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All