1
: small in scope
especially : small in output or operation
2
of a map : having a scale (such as one inch to 25 miles) that permits plotting of comparatively little detail and shows mainly large features

Examples of small-scale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Today, small-scale harvests of juneberries are often eaten by the handful or incorporated into pies, jams, and wines. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 27 June 2025 Penang durian farming is mostly small-scale, possibly because land here is steep and rocky and thus challenging for industrial agriculture. Tom Downey, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025 In environmental science, field research is often used to measure small-scale processes and then scale them up using numerical models (computer models that use field data as input) or remote sensing (satellite data analysis, lidar measurements). Sarah Boon june 25, Literary Hub, 25 June 2025 The action is usually good when it’s kept small-scale — particularly a fight scene where an armor-less Riri has to improvise weapons with the materials on hand at a White Castle — but sequences with the armor at full power are much iffier visually. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for small-scale

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of small-scale was in 1851

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Cite this Entry

“Small-scale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/small-scale. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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