Synonyms of pygmy

pygmy 1 of 2

adjective

as in diminutive

of a size that is less than average

a pygmy elephant

Synonyms & Similar Words

• diminutive
• small
• little
• dwarf
• miniature
• tiny
• pocket
• dwarfish
• fine
• puny
• smallish
• slight
• dinky
• undersized
• Lilliputian
• subnormal
• half-pint
• pocket-size
• sparse
• mini
• slender
• stunted
• miniaturized
• pint-size
• shrimpy
• poor
• bantam
• toylike
• spare
• microscopic
• micro
• lacking
• minuscule
• toy
• scrubby
• wee
• teeny
• bitty
• weeny
• infinitesimal
• teensy
• minim
• insufficient
• inadequate
• scarce
• runty
• slim
• meager
• inappreciable
• little bitty
• scanty
• skimpy
• scant
• teeny-weeny
• minute
• pinpoint
• runtish
• stingy
• teensy-weensy
• wanting
• minikin
• deficient
• capsule
• bite-size
• skimp

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• large
• giant
• big
• considerable
• substantial
• husky
• great
• handsome
• sizable
• massive
• grand
• oversize
• gigantic
• enormous
• outsize
• mammoth
• huge
• goodly
• whopping
• bulky
• colossal
• galactic
• mountainous
• heroic
• monstrous
• jumbo
• voluminous
• vast
• titanic
• gargantuan
• prodigious
• tremendous
• tidy
• gross
• Himalayan
• monolithic
• immense
• monumental
• liberal
• hefty
• cavernous
• stupendous
• king-size
• largish
• boxcar
• staggering
• abundant
• healthy
• generous
• herculean
• ample
• fat
• hulking
• biggish
• appreciable
• elephantine
• copious
• plentiful
• overscale
• cyclopean
• whacking
• humongous
• bountiful
• leviathan
• thick
• cosmic
• plenteous
• wide
• Brobdingnagian
• pharaonic
• broad
• infinite
• Bunyanesque
• adequate
• boundless
• sufficient
• enough
• incalculable
• immeasurable

pygmy

2 of 2

noun

ˈpig-mē 

variants also pigmy

1

as in dwarf

something (such as an animal) much smaller than others of its kind

hummingbirds may be the pygmies of the avian world, but what they lack in size they make up for in beauty

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dwarf
• diminutive
• toy
• midget
• scrub
• miniature
• mini
• runt
• peewee
• mite

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• giant
• monster
• mammoth
• colossus
• jumbo
• behemoth
• whale
• leviathan
• titan
• whopper

2

as in cipher

a person of no importance or influence

regrettably, most of the candidates for the party's nomination that year were political pygmies

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dwarf
• cipher
• nobody
• insect
• lightweight
• puppet
• number
• twerp
• half-pint
• whippersnapper
• nothing
• pip-squeak
• zero
• inferior
• nonentity
• morsel
• insignificancy
• nullity
• zilch
• snippersnapper
• no-name
• least
• obscurity
• reject
• nonperson
• figurehead
• mediocrity
• outcast
• noncelebrity
• pariah
• unperson

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• eminence
• personage
• somebody
• leader
• nabob
• magnate
• figure
• chief
• kingpin
• head
• big wheel
• star
• lead
• kahuna
• celebrity
• VIP
• personality
• superstar
• notable
• planet
• bigwig
• luminary
• big shot
• power
• authority
• party
• superior
• great power

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pygmy

Noun

Pygmy rattlesnake Most adult dusky pygmy rattlesnakes are about 12 to 14 inches in length, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. — Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 3 June 2026

There’s also a sand pit where children can dig up replicas of pygmy mammoth bones. — Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026

The strain involved in the cruise ship outbreak, the Andes strain, is not found in North America and is linked to the pygmy rice rat that’s native in parts of Argentina and Chile. — Aria Bendix, NBC news, 12 May 2026

Fossils have also been found that indicate the islands were also once home to pygmy mammoths, which only reached 4 to 6 feet tall. — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 29 Apr. 2026