as in diminutive
having a small and thin body
—usually used to describe a woman or girl
She's petite and has short black hair. a petite young woman
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Recent Examples of petite
On the big screen, the petite British actress portrayed one of Charles Laughton’s daughters in Hobson’s Choice (1954) and one of Peter Sellers’ daughters in Waltz of the Toreadors (1962).
—
Rhett Bartlett, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
For the first course, guests can select Michael Mina’s tuna tartare, an orchard apple salad with radcicchio and white cheddar, wagyu beef carpaccio, kabocha curry soup, petite romaine cesar with caper dressing or caviar and toro.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
Featuring a subtle kick flare at the hem and chic pintuck detailing, they’re designed to hit right under the calf, or just at the ankle for petite people like myself.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
Parker was a petite 5-foot-5 and only 100 pounds, according to FBI wanted signs.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petite
Rhett Bartlett, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
For the first course, guests can select Michael Mina’s tuna tartare, an orchard apple salad with radcicchio and white cheddar, wagyu beef carpaccio, kabocha curry soup, petite romaine cesar with caper dressing or caviar and toro.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
Featuring a subtle kick flare at the hem and chic pintuck detailing, they’re designed to hit right under the calf, or just at the ankle for petite people like myself.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
Parker was a petite 5-foot-5 and only 100 pounds, according to FBI wanted signs.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petite
Adjective
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Spanning 828 square feet, the diminutive house stands a block and a half from Long Branch Beach.—
Katie Schultz,
Architectural Digest,
5 Nov. 2025
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Tyrannosaurus rex did, in fact, have a diminutive relative in North America.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Their father, George Atkinson, spent his entire career playing an aggressive, menacing style of football that belied his smallish 6-foot, 180-pound frame.—
Jon Becker,
Mercury News,
27 Oct. 2025
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This season, Yamamoto has demonstrated not only consistency but also durability, no minor feat considering his smallish frame.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Southern Living favorites are among the best early bargains, including this mini Crock-Pot slow cooker, our top budget spin mop, and gorgeous window candles.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
10 Nov. 2025
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In the clip, the former professional athlete could be seen wearing a light green matching tank top and mini skirt, which left a small bit of her midriff exposed.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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This frog, with its long fingers and large red eyes, was found perched on tree branches in an elfin forest.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, as Hjalmar’s 14-year-old daughter, Hedvig, the elfin Maaike Laanstra-Corn is delivering yet another wonderfully eccentric embodiment of a high-strung tween with a potentially perilous excess of imagination.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Most standard-sized fruit trees should be spaced about 20 to 25 feet away from each other and homes, but dwarf varieties can be planted closer together.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2025
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Look for orange trees that are compact in size, such as these dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The micro-car rolls on four 12-inch wheels wearing 125/65 tires, and benefits from a relatively short hood for good visibility through a windshield that's kept clear during rainy spells by a single wiper.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Nov. 2025
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The next two homes in the micro community will be built simultaneously with the same machine.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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At the previous World Cup in 2022, hosted by tiny Qatar, all of England’s games were in Doha or just outside that city.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Nanotubes are ultra-small cylindrical structures, so tiny that thousands could fit across the width of a human hair.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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At a time when the Mavericks need as much good will, or PR, as possible, filing a lawsuit against the Dallas Stars is petty, small and mean.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Nov. 2025
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The Senate vote to temporarily reopen the government sparked intense controversy within the Democratic Party, as a small group of its senators joined Republicans in backing a deal that did not guarantee the extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, a key Democratic priority.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Petite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petite. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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