as in small
of a size that is less than average
a smallish row of bushes lining the yard
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Recent Examples of smallish
Go in a smallish group, belly up to the bar to put your name in, then order a strong drink if there's a wait.
—
Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025
Hagens slipped down the board, but the B’s jumped at the chance to nab the smallish, but highly-skilled centerman.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
And garnering this smallish corner of the market is intrinsic to the brand’s identity.
—Brett Berk, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2025
Their father, George Atkinson, spent his entire career playing an aggressive, menacing style of football that belied his smallish 6-foot, 180-pound frame.
—Jon Becker, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025
This season, Yamamoto has demonstrated not only consistency but also durability, no minor feat considering his smallish frame.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
The payout is often electronic, although smallish amounts can be in cash.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 21 Oct. 2025
Other than Costner, the show was largely populated with relatively unknown actors — Costner was clearly the big fish in this smallish pond.
—Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
An audience that paid $300-600 for tickets to see him in an uncharacteristically smallish venue would have expected — and got — a little more for their money than that.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2025
Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025
Hagens slipped down the board, but the B’s jumped at the chance to nab the smallish, but highly-skilled centerman.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
And garnering this smallish corner of the market is intrinsic to the brand’s identity.
—Brett Berk, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2025
Their father, George Atkinson, spent his entire career playing an aggressive, menacing style of football that belied his smallish 6-foot, 180-pound frame.
—Jon Becker, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025
This season, Yamamoto has demonstrated not only consistency but also durability, no minor feat considering his smallish frame.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
The payout is often electronic, although smallish amounts can be in cash.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 21 Oct. 2025
Other than Costner, the show was largely populated with relatively unknown actors — Costner was clearly the big fish in this smallish pond.
—Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
An audience that paid $300-600 for tickets to see him in an uncharacteristically smallish venue would have expected — and got — a little more for their money than that.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smallish
Adjective
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The founders argue that automation should be accessible to smaller operators, including neighborhood bars and private event spaces.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
-
There can be 30 minutes of small waves before a sneaker wave strikes.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Now the towering ceiling of their new Hollywood soundstage was making even the 36-inch set piece feel diminutive.—
Julia Black,
Vanity Fair,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Andrews left the more creative, diminutive Mikkel Damsgaard on the bench.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Dick is sympathetic to Leroy’s perspective, noting that being Black in the military means having your personal life scrutinized, which is little comfort for Charlotte.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
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Sketches such as last night’s Oval Office monologue compact the coal of the administration’s info dumps into little diamonds of comedy, freeing the writers and cast to pursue more escapist fare.—
Erik Adams,
The Atlantic,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
At the previous World Cup in 2022, hosted by tiny Qatar, all of England’s games were in Doha or just outside that city.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Nanotubes are ultra-small cylindrical structures, so tiny that thousands could fit across the width of a human hair.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smallish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smallish. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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