tiny

adjective

ti·​ny ˈtī-nē 

tinier; tiniest

: very small or diminutive : minute

tinily

ˈtī-nə-lē 

adverb

tininess

ˈtī-nē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• minuscule
• miniature
• microscopic
• small

Choose the Right Synonym for tiny

small, little, diminutive, minute, tiny, miniature mean noticeably below average in size.

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

a relatively small backyard

little is more absolute in implication often carrying the idea of petiteness, pettiness, insignificance, or immaturity.

your pathetic little smile

diminutive implies abnormal smallness.

diminutive bonsai plants

minute implies extreme smallness.

a minute amount of caffeine in the soda

tiny is an informal equivalent to minute.

tiny cracks formed in the painting

miniature applies to an exactly proportioned reproduction on a very small scale.

a dollhouse with miniature furnishings

Examples of tiny in a Sentence

The computer chips were tiny.

He's from a tiny town that you've probably never heard of.

There's just one tiny little problem.

Aren't you even a tiny bit scared?

Recent Examples on the Web

Paulsen flips through cut-ups and points out spacing and the tiniest of movements in a route, the angles of hips and feet and placement of hands in a block. —Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025

The increasingly inaccessible real estate market is a hot topic among would-be homeowners these days, leaving shoppers looking for alternative options in the form of rentals, nomadic living, and yes, tiny homes. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025

Glam was kept bronzed, with oil-spill black talon nails changed to a sheer satiny pink, and her hair slicked back in a tight bun, extra-long, teeny, tiny braids let down later. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025

On the floor of their tiny makeshift home in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, her mother Fatima Begum feeds Sofiya by rubbing her gums with a food paste designed to treat severe malnutrition. —Rebecca Wright, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English tine

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tiny

• tiny house

Rhymes for tiny

• briny
• piney
• shiny
• spiny
• consignee
• sunshiny

Kids Definition

tiny

adjective

ti·​ny ˈtī-nē 

tinier; tiniest

: very small : minute

tininess noun