diminutive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Lera was a ray of sunshine. She loved Odesa, Ukrainian culture, the opera," she said, using Valeria's diminutive name.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

Dictators, autocrats and other malign actors strategically use humor as a type of diminutive to minimize their real intent and to distract the public and media.

From Salon • Jan. 18, 2026

Called Giant, the film chronicles the boxer's journey from being a diminutive working-class boy to an international superstar - who only lost one fight.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026

Memorable figures include the town barber and perpetual bachelor, Jayber Crow, and the Falstaffian 300-pound farmer Ptolemy Proudfoot, who lives happily with his diminutive wife, Miss Minnie.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

Not only were these colts strange-looking, shaggy, and awkward, but aside from the slight difference in their mutually diminutive heights— Grog was a hair shorter—they were identical.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand