as in diminutive
of a size that is less than average
a pygmy elephant
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pygmy
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
Just look at how much the internet embraced Moo Deng the baby pygmy hippo in Thailand, or Punch the monkey in a Japanese zoo.
—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 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.
—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pygmy
Noun
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
Just look at how much the internet embraced Moo Deng the baby pygmy hippo in Thailand, or Punch the monkey in a Japanese zoo.
—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 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.
—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pygmy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pygmy
Adjective
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And a scene depicting a barroom brawl among little people, interrupted by similarly diminutive cops and paramedics, feels like it could have been devised by Buñuel.
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The diminutive menu contained just three sandwiches, two salads and a single dessert.
Noun
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Beyond the fruit, the dwarf golden spice pear features clusters of white spring blooms and glossy leaves that turn a striking burgundy or bronze color in the fall.
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Many get very large, so be sure to buy a dwarf variety for foundation plantings.
Noun
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Consider a dashboard that shows applications, including keys and libraries; network traffic protocols and ciphers; hardware, such as HSMs and TPMs; and third-party dependencies, including cryptographic or software bills of materials.
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As zonky cross-generational ciphers go, the group’s debut, Strictly 4 the Scythe, is no Hypnotize Camp Posse, the amalgam of Three 6 Mafia and a grip of artists signed to their Hypnotize Minds label in the early 2000s.
Adjective
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Name the worry out loud, then choose a small boundary that protects your energy, such as turning off notifications during a demanding task.
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People milled about clutching small rainbow flags from the human rights organization Outright International.
Noun
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Their technicians have the training and tools to get the toy out without causing major damage to your pool.
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Guinness was then kept out of his habitat so staff could monitor him and prepare for another attempt to remove the toy.
Noun
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Despite the tragicomic instability and the rotating cast of nobodies temporarily tasked with running the country, when seen in macroeconomic terms, Peru appears to be doing just fine, thank you.
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Unlike some of his more strapping forebears (think Liam Neeson, Kevin Costner, or Aaron Eckhart), Odenkirk specializes in nobodies and normals: people one would not expect to be killing machines.
Adjective
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Yet at the individual and family level, there was little.
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For example, when the question comes up if a certain weird little alien on a space bus who sounds unmistakably like Seth Rogen is actually Rogen.
Noun
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Elsewhere, a Queen of Hearts figure crafted from plant material, card‑soldier topiaries and oversized mushrooms and insects give families plenty to explore, often with interactive buttons or scavenger‑hunt details for kids.
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In the forest and other natural settings, termites are beneficial insects that recycle woody debris, such as dead trees, and return nutrients to the soil.
Cite this Entry
“Pygmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pygmy. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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