puniness

noun

Definition of puninessnext
as in smallness
the quality or state of being little in size a nagging dissatisfaction with his physical puniness drove him to become a body builder

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puniness
  1. smallness
  2. fineness
Noun
  • Both Drake and Lütke rejected Canadian smallness, the reflex that says our cities are minor markets, our companies are acquisition targets, and our culture is a regional dialect of America's.
    — Kumaran Nadesan, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The designer said she was inspired by the smallness of the human compared to the universe’s vastness.
    — Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of smallness
Noun
  • The fineness of the line between the two genres indicates that in her work overall, change is a matter of gradations.
    — Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
  • My matzo balls took twice as long to cook according to her fineness in the video.
    — Molly Baz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of fineness
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.

Browse Nearby Words

pungling (up)
puniness
punish
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Puniness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puniness. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All