Lilliputian

1 of 2

adjective

Lil·​li·​pu·​tian ˌli-lə-ˈpyü-shən 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the Lilliputians or the island of Lilliput

2

often lilliputian

a

: small, miniature

a Lilliputian camera

b

: petty

Lilliputian

2 of 2

noun

1

: an inhabitant of Lilliput

2

often lilliputian : one resembling a Lilliputian

especially : an undersized individual

Synonyms of Lilliputian

Adjective

• small
• petty
• parochial
• narrow

Examples of Lilliputian in a Sentence

Adjective

to the Lilliputian minds of that small town any depiction of the nude, regardless of its artistry, was pornographic

a model train carrying Lilliputian figures through a miniature landscape

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

There’s something undeniably charming about a Lilliputian pickle in a glass of gin. — Amiel Stanek, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 June 2025

Yet a conflict of sorts did break out on the fringes of the Côte d’Azur in 1963 when France, which surrounds three sides of this sovereign nation of a princely one square mile, demanded that its Lilliputian neighbor accept French taxation. — Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 21 Mar. 2025

Slovenia—a Lilliputian nation about the size of New Jersey but with less than a quarter of its population—has many stories to tell. — Ellen Ruppel Shell, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024

The Lilliputian sellers regularly fail to do damage when matched with the oblivious index money. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2024

They’re served in Lilliputian beer steins that look like they were pulled from a doll house. — Becky Cooper, New York Times, 7 May 2024

Noun

With the Seeburg Lilliputian Model L, the only job left for humans who wanted to play the piano in the 1920s was to put in a coin. — Adam Ozimek, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026

Although the Pixel smartphone remains a Lilliputian next to the Gulliverian stature of the iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy models, Google’s ongoing advances in AI while holding the line on its marquee devices raise the competitive stakes. — Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2025

Early plans for a Lilliputian Museum and Lilliputian Land with a miniature train and canal boat rides eventually got absorbed into Fantasyland. — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 7 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Lilliputian

• absolution
• allocution
• attribution
• comminution
• constitution
• contribution
• convolution
• destitution
• devolution
• diminution
• dissolution
• distribution