pygmy

noun pyg·my \ ˈpig-mē \

variants: or less commonly pigmy

|Updated on: 12 May 2018

Examples: pygmy in a Sentence

Definition of pygmy

plural pygmies also pigmies

1 often capitalized : any of a race of dwarfs described by ancient Greek authors

2 capitalized : any of a small people of equatorial Africa ranging under five feet (1.5 meters) in height

3 a (1) : an unusually small person

(2) : an insignificant or unimpressive person

an intellectual pygmy

b : something very small of its kind

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pygmy

adjective

See pygmy defined for English-language learners

See pygmy defined for kids

Examples of pygmy in a Sentence

hummingbirds may be the pygmies of the avian world, but what they lack in size they make up for in beauty
regrettably, most of the candidates for the party's nomination that year were political pygmies

Recent Examples of pygmy from the Web

This year, a 2-year-old pygmy goat named Princess Jenny crossed the finish line first, claiming the crown.

— bethany ao, Philly.com, "The cutthroat goat races of Sly Fox Brewery's annual Bock Fest," 7 May 2018
Although this species is not threatened, two of the six species of sloth are endangered: the pygmy three-toed sloth (critically endangered) and the maned sloth (vulnerable).

— terry gardner, latimes.com, "Just in time for Mother's Day: zoo babies in the West," 6 May 2018
The prevalence of the third species, a pygmy gecko that looks like a yellow rubber fishing lure, does not appear to have changed much.

— geoffrey giller, Scientific American, "Island Lizards Shift to Evolutionary Fast-Track after Invasive Goats and Rats Are Eradicated," 30 Apr. 2018
So Kneale and Mark Mellgren, a construction vendor and volunteer for the tournament, found a pygmy goat at a nearby farm on Craig’s List.

— roxanna scott, USA TODAY, "Meet Faaaabel the goat, Valero Texas Open's new unofficial mascot," 18 Apr. 2018
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice of intent to sue the FWS for not designating critical habitat for the spring pygmy sunfish, which is known to survive in just one spring complex in Limestone County.

— dennis pillion, AL.com, "Alabama auto plant could wipe out endangered fish, group says," 11 Apr. 2018
All sorts of colorful characters swim by—a juvenile jack wedged between the tentacles and bell of a jellyfish for protection, a flying fish harboring a pygmy squid beneath its wing.

— laura mallonee, WIRED, "A Nighttime Underwater Spectacle Off the Coast of the Philippines," 3 Apr. 2018
Kids can search out eggs but also go horseback riding, visit the petting zoo (pygmy goats, pigs and rabbits, among others) and take a hay ride.

— mary forgione, latimes.com, "Get in on Easter egg hunts in the desert (Death Valley), in the snow (Mammoth) and on a farm (Big Bear)," 30 Mar. 2018
The issue surfaced in 2007 when a fire Otter said could have been stopped at about 5,000 acres consumed 700,000 acres of habitat for bull trout, pygmy rabbits and slickspot peppergrass.

— elaine williams, idahostatesman, "These days, Butch Otter would be happy as a ‘sharecropper’ on federal land | Idaho Statesman," 29 Mar. 2018

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