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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of petite
Keep reading for more petite-friendly Quince matching sets.
—
Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
With nearly 1,000 five-star reviews, these stretchy capri pants are beloved by petite travelers for their comfy waistband, deep front pockets, cropped 21-inch inseam, and no-fuss pull-on style.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2026
This form of petite pruning also helps limit the sprawling nature of some annuals and extends the flowering season.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
Sprite Melon This petite (about the size of a grapefruit), smooth-skinned melon is Japanese in origin, but has been considered a specialty crop in North Carolina for almost half a century.
—Joanna Sciarrino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for petite
Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
With nearly 1,000 five-star reviews, these stretchy capri pants are beloved by petite travelers for their comfy waistband, deep front pockets, cropped 21-inch inseam, and no-fuss pull-on style.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2026
This form of petite pruning also helps limit the sprawling nature of some annuals and extends the flowering season.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
Sprite Melon This petite (about the size of a grapefruit), smooth-skinned melon is Japanese in origin, but has been considered a specialty crop in North Carolina for almost half a century.
—Joanna Sciarrino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for petite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petite
Adjective
-
One of the other creatures parked in Clark’s Backrooms nest is a diminutive entity in velvety red that strongly recalls a still, silent version of the Little Man From Another Place, a signature character from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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For the past few weeks, swarms of the diminutive insects have been seen flittering en masse through parks and backyards across the Bay Area.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
By 1900, the Irish-speaking areas were a ragged patchwork of smallish standalone zones, clinging to the island’s western and southern shores.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 May 2026
-
So moving Stankoven to the middle in training camp certainly raised the eyebrows of many, especially considering Carolina has several other smallish players among its forward corps.—
Cory Lavalette,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
The hotel has indoor and outdoor pools, basketball and tennis courts, mini golf, and a free shuttle to Hersheypark.—
Dave Parfitt,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
-
Shakira rocks a bold orange mini dress for an ISIMA event during Miami Swim Week on May 28.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Olah is a boyish, elfin prodigy who, at nineteen, met Amodei on his first visit to the Bay Area.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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That effort also brought back the rare frosted elfin butterfly for the first time in decades.—
Diana Stralberg,
The Conversation,
17 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Over billions of years, the galaxy probably collided with smaller dwarf galaxies, which brought in fresh gas and stars and helped build up the outer spiral arms.—
Lisa Kewley,
The Conversation,
14 May 2026
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Semi-dwarf varieties grow to between 3 and 8 feet tall, while giant sunflowers grow at least 8 feet tall.—
Alexandra Jones,
The Spruce,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
Without some reforms, the US may be left behind and lose its competitive edge as students seek simpler systems for finding and sharing micro credentials.—
Bryan Penprase,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
On board is a micro rover built by ispace called Tenacious as well as several commercial payloads.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
From the train windows, expect to spot the aquamarine waves of Ligurian Sea crashing against the stony coast, candy-colored houses huddled together on the hillsides, tiny wooden boats gliding through village harbors, and flecks of golden-sand beaches.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 June 2026
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Tribby, of Miles City, noted that, absent a court ruling that defines the legality of corner crossing in Montana, the PLPW council should consider access corridors rather than single-point access to a tiny corner that might be on a steep sidehill or monumented by a tree.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
The National Federation of Independent Business has warned that small businesses and consumers who rely on energy, rather than oil giants, will end up holding the bag.—
Yaël Ossowski,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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But as funding from cap-and-invest and the climate bond dwindle, the state must increasingly turn to Cal Fire, which devotes only a small portion of its budget to mitigation work.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Petite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petite. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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