miniature

play

noun min·i·a·ture \ ˈmi-nē-ə-ˌchu̇r , ˈmi-ni-ˌchu̇r , ˈmin-yə- , -chər , -ˌtyu̇r , -ˌtu̇r \

Definition of miniature

1 a :a copy on a much reduced scale

The designer displayed a miniature of the Washington, D.C. Mall.

b :something small of its kind

The little boy looked like his father in miniature.

2 :a painting in an illuminated (see ²illuminate 4) book or manuscript

3 :the art of painting miniatures

The artist excelled in miniature.

4 :a very small portrait or other painting (as on ivory or metal)

The lady wore a locket containing a miniature of her mother.

—

miniaturist

play \-ˌchu̇r-ist, -chər-, -ˌtyu̇r-, -ˌtu̇r-\ noun

—

miniaturistic

play \ˌmi-nē-ə-chə-ˈris-tik, ˌmi-ni-, ˌmin-yə-, -ˌtyu̇-, -ˌtu̇-\ adjective

— in miniature

:in a greatly diminished size, form, or scale

See miniature defined for English-language learners

See miniature defined for kids

Examples of miniature in a Sentence

a diorama filled with miniatures of town buildings as they looked in the 19th century

Recent Examples of miniature from the Web

The show also features a daily miniature quilt live auction, plus all sizes of quilts for sale made by participating quilt guild members.

— faye reeder, star-telegram, "Taste of Arlington will have new twist with same delicious tradition," 23 Aug. 2017
The park on Friday still had the look and feel of a miniature Oriole Park at Camden Yards, however, there were some noticeable differences.

— chris jeter, The Aegis, "Steamed Crabs for a night, Aberdeen IronBirds unable to hold off West Virginia," 12 Aug. 2017
The spines are like miniature hooks, although more gently curved.

— seth borenstein, The Seattle Times, "Scientists ID tiny prehistoric sea worm with 50 head spines," 3 Aug. 2017
On Tuesday, Poshmark announced that baby Khaled will generously part with his miniature blue Gucci suit as part of DJ Khaled’s Posh Closet for Charity initiative.

— emilia petrarca, The Cut, "One Lucky Baby Can Own Asahd Khaled’s Blue Gucci Suit," 25 July 2017
Residents in the past decade have worked to make Linden Grove Cemetery a miniature Spring Grove Cemetery, a place offering reverence for the dead but also something for the living.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "NKY Notebook: Cemetery to become temporary movie theater," 20 July 2017
Cordova looks and feels like a miniature Juneau, down to the glacial green of Orca Inlet.

— alli harvey, Alaska Dispatch News, "Done it all in Kenai and Mat-Su? Consider a ferry trip to Cordova.," 19 July 2017
Ophelia’s bar was a mock giant birdcage, and my drink—the Jade Cat, a cocktail of Japanese whiskey and bitter green tea liqueur—arrived in a miniature birdcage.

— klara glowczewska, Town & Country, "Why Now Is the Time to Visit China," 14 July 2017
The show features several divisions including miniature, dressage and saddle seat; also 4-H drill team competition.

— The Courier-Journal, "50+ fun things for week of July 6-12," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'miniature.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of miniature

Italian miniatura art of illuminating a manuscript, from Medieval Latin, from Latin miniatus, past participle of miniare to color with minium, from minium red lead

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1586

See Words from the same year

miniature Synonyms

Synonyms

model

Related Words

carbon, carbon copy, clone, copy, dummy, dupe, duplicate, duplication, facsimile, imitation, mock, reduplication, replica, replication, reproduction; dwarf, midget, mini, pocket edition, pygmy (also pigmy)

Near Antonyms

archetype, original, prototype; blowup, enlargement

miniature

adjective

Definition of miniature

:being or represented on a small scale

See miniature defined for English-language learners

Examples of miniature in a Sentence

a collection of miniature books
The little boy looks like a miniature version of his father.

Recent Examples of miniature from the Web

At his office off a freeway in Austin, his desk is adorned with a hammer on one side and a miniature punching bag on the other.

— christopher flavelle, Bloomberg.com, "Harvey Could Reshape How and Where Americans Build Homes," 30 Aug. 2017
At his office off a freeway in Austin, his desk is adorned with a hammer on one side and a miniature punching bag on the other.

— christopher flavelle, chicagotribune.com, "Harvey could reshape how and where Americans build," 30 Aug. 2017
Adult/child pairs will work together to create one fairy-sized outdoor container garden sure to entice any pixies (or miniature dinosaurs) wandering through your neighborhood.

— idahostatesman, "What are the best plants in Idaho for a fall garden?," 30 Aug. 2017
Five-fitty for a miniature hot dog with sauce and cheese is patently outrageous.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Bengals look good, Burfict looks targeted," 28 Aug. 2017
Last year, Pyongyang released a photo of Kim Jong-un with a miniature nuclear warhead.

— veronica hilbring, Essence.com, "Threats, Missiles And A Lot Of Embarrassment: What You Need To Know About Trump And North Korea," 10 Aug. 2017
In June, data from the Kepler planet-hunting space telescope revealed that miniature versions of Neptune are some of the most common types of planets in our galaxy.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "New Storm as Big as Earth Is Stirring Up Neptune’s Atmosphere," 8 Aug. 2017
On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence agencies believe North Korea can now fit miniature nuclear warheads into missiles, overcoming a major technological hurdle.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "North Korea Considers Attack on Guam," 8 Aug. 2017
Last week, our darling miniature schnauzer, Noodle Rush, passed away.

— ilene raymond rush, Philly.com, "Noodle the schnauzer was my beloved pal - and secret diabetes weapon," 6 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of miniature

1714

miniature Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of miniature

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

MINIATURE Defined for English Language Learners

miniature

play

noun

Definition of miniature for English Language Learners

: a very small sculpture, portrait, or painting

miniature

adjective

Definition of miniature for English Language Learners

: very small

MINIATURE Defined for Kids

miniature

play

noun min·i·a·ture \ ˈmi-nē-ə-ˌchu̇r , ˈmi-ni-ˌchu̇r \

Definition of miniature for Students

1 :a copy of something that is much smaller than the original I made a miniature of the Eiffel Tower.

2 :a very small portrait or painting

History for miniature

Minium was the Latin name for a red pigment used in ancient times. In the days before printed books, this substance was used to decorate manuscripts. The Latin verb meaning to color with minium was miniare. In early Italian, its meaning was broadened to the point where it simply meant “to decorate a manuscript,” and the noun miniatura was used to refer to any manuscript illustration, no matter what color. Since the illustrations in manuscripts (called illuminations) are small by comparison with most other paintings, the word miniature, borrowed into English from Italian miniature, came to mean any small painting, and eventually anything very small.