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diminutive

used in a sentence
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Definition very small

More rarely, diminutive can reference a noun modified by as suffix (such as -let, -ette) to indicate smallness such as booklet, piglet, towelette, or cigarette.
  • She is a diminutive fighter pilot.
diminutive = very small
  • diminutive in stature
  • Don't use a big word where a diminutive one will suffice.
  • Do you refer to Lorenzo il Magnifico, or to Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino, or to Lorenzo surnamed Lorenzino on account of his diminutive stature?
    Forster, E. M.  --  A Room With A View
  • Diminutive paintings give that spotty look to a room, which is the blemish of so many a fine work of Art overtouched.
    Poe, Edgar Allan  --  Poems
  • He was among the most diminutive of men, but when Burris Ewell turned toward him, Little Chuck's right hand went to his pocket.
    Harper Lee  --  To Kill a Mockingbird
    • diminutive = small
  • Mademoiselle Reisz, being exceedingly diminutive, was elevated upon cushions, as small children are sometimes hoisted at table upon bulky volumes.
    Kate Chopin  --  The Awakening
    • diminutive = very small
  • the most diminutive of birds
    William Shakespeare  --  Macbeth
    • diminutive = very small
  • a diminution in our captain's brain
    William Shakespeare  --  Antony and Cleopatra
    • diminution = decrease in size or importance
    (editor's note:  The suffix "-tion", converts a verb into a noun that denotes the action or result of the verb. Typically, there is a slight change in the ending of the root verb, as in action, education, and observation.)
  • a diminutive female hand
    Edgar Allan Poe  --  The Purloined Letter
    • diminutive = very small
  • Holly sat, never taking her hazel eyes from the diminutive monster before her.
    Eoin Colfer  --  Artemis Fowl
    • diminutive = very small
  • fat cooks, and diminutive apprentices
    Edmond Rostand  --  Cyrano de Bergerac
    • diminutive = very small
  • I was then sure that you reflected upon the diminutive figure of Chantilly.
    Edgar Allan Poe  --  The Murders in the Rue Morgue
    • diminutive = very small
  • "Here, page," he went on, turning to a diminutive youth in the background, "show this gentleman to number 322."
    Oppenheim, E. Phillips  --  The Kingdom of the Blind
  • The most diminutive of birds, will fight,
    Shakespeare, William  --  Macbeth
  • She was diminutive and dirty.
    Andersen, Hans Christian  --  Andersen's Fairy Tales
  • She had possession of the rocker, and she was busily engaged in sewing upon a diminutive pair of night-drawers.
    Chopin, Kate  --  The Awakening and Selected Short Stories
  • They found out roughly ten minutes after the destruction of a large part of the diminutive "Great Britain."
    Robert Ludlum  --  The Bourne Ultimatum
  • In fact, the chauffeur was a diminutive fellow almost lost behind the front wheel.
    Ian McEwan  --  Atonement
  • With his white hair spilling over the top of his sweater, he looked diminutive in the rocker.
    Nicholas Sparks  --  The Wedding

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