Diminutive — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a word that is formed with a suffix (such as -let or -kin) to indicate smallness

very small

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dˈɑːɡənɪŋ/

🇬🇧British English

/dɪmˈɪnjuːtˌɪv/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dɪmˈɪnjuːtˌɪv/

4 syllables Say it as /dˈɑːɡənɪŋ/.

Examples

diminutive in stature
a lilliputian chest of drawers
her petite figure

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

midget tiny lilliputian bantam flyspeck petite

Parts of Speech

noun	a word that is formed with a suffix (such as -let or -kin) to indicate smallness
adjective	very small “diminutive in stature”

Word Forms

diminutive	adjective	very small
diminutive	noun	a word that is formed with a suffix (such as -let or -kin) to indicate smallness
diminutiveness	noun	the property of being very small in size
lilliputian	noun	a very small person (resembling a Lilliputian)
petite	noun	a garment size for short or slender women
petiteness	noun	the property of being very small in size
tininess	noun	the property of being very small in size

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Diminutiv

ein Wort, das mit einem Suffix (wie -let oder -kin) gebildet wird, um Kleinheit anzuzeigen

🇫🇷French

diminutif

un mot formé avec un suffixe (tel que -let ou -kin) pour indiquer la petitesse

🇪🇸Spanish

diminutivo

una palabra que se forma con un sufijo (como -let o -kin) para indicar pequeñez

🇮🇹Italian

diminutivo

una parola formata con un suffisso (come -let o -kin) per indicare piccolezza

🇳🇱Dutch

verkleinwoord

een woord dat is gevormd met een achtervoegsel (zoals -let of -kin) om kleinheid aan te duiden

🇵🇹Portuguese

diminutivo

uma palavra formada com um sufixo (como -let ou -kin) para indicar pequenez

🇷🇺Russian

миниатюрный

слово, образованное с помощью суффикса (например, -let или -kin), обозначающего малость

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अल्पार्थक

एक शब्द जो छोटेपन को इंगित करने के लिए प्रत्यय (जैसे -लेट या -किन) से बनता है

🇧🇩Bengali

ক্ষুদ্র

ক্ষুদ্রতা নির্দেশ করার জন্য একটি প্রত্যয় (যেমন -লেট বা -কিন) দিয়ে গঠিত একটি শব্দ

🇮🇳Tamil

சிறியது

சிறுமையைக் குறிக்க (-let அல்லது -kin போன்றவை) பின்னொட்டுடன் உருவாக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு சொல்

🇮🇳Telugu

అల్పమైన

చిన్నతనాన్ని సూచించడానికి ప్రత్యయం (-లెట్ లేదా -కిన్ వంటివి)తో ఏర్పడిన పదం

🇮🇳Marathi

कमी

लहानपणा दर्शविण्यासाठी प्रत्यय (जसे की -लेट किंवा -किन) सह तयार केलेला शब्द

🇮🇳Gujarati

અલ્પ

એક શબ્દ કે જે પ્રત્યય સાથે રચાય છે (જેમ કે -લેટ અથવા -કિન) નાનીતા દર્શાવવા માટે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅಲ್ಪಾರ್ಥಕ

ಸಣ್ಣತನವನ್ನು ಸೂಚಿಸಲು (ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗೆ -ಲೆಟ್ ಅಥವಾ -ಕಿನ್) ಪ್ರತ್ಯಯದೊಂದಿಗೆ ರೂಪುಗೊಂಡ ಪದ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ചെറിയ

ചെറുതിനെ സൂചിപ്പിക്കാൻ ഒരു പ്രത്യയം (-let or -kin പോലുള്ളവ) ഉപയോഗിച്ച് രൂപപ്പെട്ട ഒരു വാക്ക്

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਘੱਟ

ਇੱਕ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਜੋ ਛੋਟੇਪਨ ਨੂੰ ਦਰਸਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਇੱਕ ਪਿਛੇਤਰ (ਜਿਵੇਂ ਕਿ -ਲੇਟ ਜਾਂ -ਕਿਨ) ਨਾਲ ਬਣਿਆ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

کم

ایک لفظ جو چھوٹے پن کی نشاندہی کرنے کے لیے لاحقہ (جیسے -let یا -kin) کے ساتھ بنتا ہے۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

小型的

由后缀（例如 -let 或 -kin）组成的单词，表示小

🇯🇵Japanese

小柄な

小ささを示すために接尾辞 (-let や -kin など) を付けて形成される単語

🇰🇷Korean

아주 작은

작음을 나타내기 위해 접미사(예: -let 또는 -kin)가 붙은 단어

🇻🇳Vietnamese

nhỏ bé

một từ được hình thành với một hậu tố (chẳng hạn như -let hoặc -kin) để chỉ sự nhỏ bé

🇹🇭Thai

จิ๋ว

คำที่ประกอบด้วยคำต่อท้าย (เช่น -let หรือ -kin) เพื่อบ่งบอกถึงความเล็ก

🇮🇩Indonesian

kecil

sebuah kata yang dibentuk dengan akhiran (seperti -biarkan atau -kin) untuk menunjukkan kecilnya

🇵🇭Filipino

maliit

isang salita na binubuo ng panlapi (tulad ng -let o -kin) upang ipahiwatig ang kaliitan

🇲🇾Malay

kecil

perkataan yang dibentuk dengan akhiran (seperti -let atau -kin) untuk menunjukkan kekecilan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

ضآلة

كلمة مكونة من لاحقة (مثل -let أو -kin) للدلالة على الصغر

🇮🇷Persian

کاهنده

کلمه ای که با پسوند (مانند -let یا -kin) برای نشان دادن کوچکی تشکیل می شود

🇹🇷Turkish

küçücük

küçüklüğü belirtmek için bir sonek (-let veya -kin gibi) ile oluşturulmuş bir kelime

🇮🇱Hebrew

צוּרַת הַקטָנָה

מילה שנוצרת עם סיומת (כגון -לת או -קינט) לציון הקטנות

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'diminutive'?

The primary meaning of 'diminutive' is 'a word that is formed with a suffix (such as -let or -kin) to indicate smallness'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'diminutive' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'diminutive' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'diminutive' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'diminutive' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'diminutive' in your daily reading?

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Do you find 'diminutive' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

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In your opinion, does the word 'diminutive' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Which age group is most likely to use 'diminutive' in regular conversations?

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How likely are you to use 'diminutive' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'diminutive' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

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