as in diminutive
something (such as an animal) much smaller than others of its kind
one kitten was definitely the runt, weighing only six ounces at birth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for runt
Noun
-
Meaning: The name Indie can be a diminutive of the names India (country southern Asia) or Indiana (state in midwestern U.S.).—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2025 -
Residing on hillside slopes and gently rolling valleys surrounding the stately medieval village of Montalcino, vineyards in the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG are home to a clone of Sangiovese known locally as Brunello, which is a diminutive of the Italian word for brown.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The shrub grows 6 to 15 feet tall; there are dwarf, medium-sized, and tall varieties.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
24 Aug. 2025
-
The dwarf galaxies of other galaxies, such as Centaurus A — the product of a major merger between two large galaxies — also orbit in a plane.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Runt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/runt. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share